Well Told Grants

Grants / National Science Foundation / U.S. National Science Foundation

NSF 23-504: Biological Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF 23-504

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 2022.

U.S. National Science Foundation offered grants to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make about 40 awards worth $800,000 in total. It is no longer open on Grants.gov.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed December 13, 2025. Checked November 7, 2026.

Other notices with this title

U.S. National Science Foundation has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
NSF 18-504June 6, 2025ClosedClosed

Key dates

PostedOctober 12, 2022
Archived by Grants.govDecember 13, 2025

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Ph.D. granting IHEs accredited in, and having a campus located in, the U.S. acting on behalf of their faculty members. *Who May Serve as PI: DDRIG proposals must be submitted through regular organizational channels by the dissertation advisor(s) on behalf of the graduate student. The principal investigator (PI) is the faculty member serving as the doctoral student's dissertation advisor and the co-principal investigator (Co-PI) is the doctoral student enrolled at the same U.S. IHE. If appropriate, and at the discretion of the submitting institution, an additional faculty advisor at the same or another institution may be listed as another Co-PI. The doctoral student must be the author of the proposal. At the time of the submission window, doctoral students are expected to be at the appropriate stage of their academic career to enable submission of a finalized dissertation proposal, most typically very near, or having advanced to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

The Biological Anthropology Program seeks to advance scientific knowledge about the processes that have shaped biological diversity in living and fossil humans and their primate relatives through support of basic research on human and primate evolution, biological variation, and interactions between biology, behavior and culture. The program supports a portfolio of research that demonstrates engagement with biological anthropological and evolutionary theory; includes diverse and interdisciplinary methods in field, laboratory and computational settings; encompasses multiple levels of analysis (e.g., molecular, organismal, population, ecosystem) and time scales from the short-term to evolutionary; and considers the ethical implications and societal impacts of the research. The program also supports a wide range of broader impact activities as part of research grants, including research outcomes with inherent benefit to society, efforts to broaden participation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) training, research and outreach activities and other evidence-based activities developed within the context of the mission, goals and resources of the organizations and people involved. The program contributes to the integration of education and basic research through support of dissertation projects conducted by doctoral students enrolled in U.S. universities. This solicitation specifically addresses the preparation and evaluation of proposals for Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants (DDRIG). Dissertation research projects in all of the subareas of biological anthropology are eligible for support through these grants. These awards are intended to enhance and improve the conduct of dissertation research by doctoral students who are pursuing research in biological anthropology that enhances basic scientific knowledge.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Who has won Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (47.075) awarded $1.1 billion across 4,434 grant awards, an average of $247,002 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan105$112 million
National Bureau of Economic Research IncMassachusetts79$36.3 million
National Opinion Research CenterIllinois8$25.7 million
Arizona State UniversityArizona88$20.3 million
Regents of the University of MinnesotaMinnesota44$16.4 million

Top states: Michigan ($125 million), California ($117 million), Massachusetts ($112 million), New York ($91.2 million), Illinois ($65.1 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 23-504 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 Biological Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants?

U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for Biological Anthropology Program - Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement 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 $800,000 in total across about 40 awards.

Who has won Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Regents of the University of Michigan, National Bureau of Economic Research Inc, National Opinion Research Center. The program made 4,434 awards worth $1.1 billion in that time.

Similar open grants