NSF 16-602: Solar and Planetary Research Grants
Closed
This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2025.
U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants to any type of organization. It expected to make $10.0 million in total. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed June 7, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.
- Total funding$10.0 million
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Key dates
| Posted | June 6, 2025 |
|---|---|
| Archived by Grants.gov | June 7, 2025 |
Who can apply
This opportunity was open to any type of organization.
- Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility"
Is this a realistic fit?
- Most of the program's money (80% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The Solar and Planetary Research Grants (SPG) Program provides individual investigator and collaborative research grants for observational, theoretical, laboratory, and archival data studies in the science of our solar system and extrasolar planetary systems. Proposals for projects and tools that enable and enhance research in those areas may also be submitted. Proposals addressing the astronomy and astrophysics of stars,our galaxy, external galaxies, and cosmologywill be handled under a companion NSF solicitation,NSF 16-574, Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants (AAG), not under the SPG Program. Proposals that address planet formation within circumstellar disks are appropriate for this SPG Program; proposals that address star formation are better directed to the AAG Program and will not be considered by the SPG Program. Proposals submitted to one of these two programs, and deemed more appropriate for the other program, will be routed to the other program and considered during the next proposal submission season for that program. Potential proposers are cautioned that this could delay a proposal considered more appropriate to the AAG Program for up to a year. Proposals that are solely or predominantly for the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of space-based data from NASA-supported missions will be returned without review.
Who has won Mathematical and Physical Sciences grants before
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049) awarded $8.5 billion across 14,898 grant awards, an average of $568,976 per award.
| Recipient | State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. | Arizona | 22 | $725 million |
| Associated Universities Inc | Virginia | 18 | $646 million |
| California Institute of Technology | California | 148 | $316 million |
| Cornell University | New York | 179 | $256 million |
| Florida State University | Florida | 92 | $228 million |
Applying now
This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.
The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.
Questions people ask
Is NSF 16-602 still open?
No. It is no longer open on Grants.gov. A newer notice is open: NSF 27-500, closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left).
Who can apply for Solar and Planetary Research Grants?
U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from any type of organization.
What is the deadline for Solar and Planetary Research Grants?
Closed. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.
How much funding is available?
About $10.0 million in total.
Who has won Mathematical and Physical Sciences grants before?
The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., Associated Universities Inc, California Institute of Technology. The program made 14,898 awards worth $8.5 billion in that time.