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

NSF PD-19-9102: Critical Aspects of Sustainability

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF PD-19-9102

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 is no longer open on Grants.gov.

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

Key dates

PostedJune 6, 2025
Archived by Grants.govJune 7, 2025

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to any type of organization.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, tribes, small businesses, businesses, individuals.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

Economic development and human progress have led to a proliferation of manufactured chemicals and materials made from limited resources found in nature(i.e., minerals and metals,petroleum-based productsand natural gas). Long-term sustainability requires consideration of the availability of specific natural resources, energy, and water usage. NSF continues to support efforts that seek to improve the efficiency with which natural resources are used to meet human needs for products and services. Sustainability research encompasses the design, manufacture and use of efficient, effective, safe and more environmentally-benign products and processes; stimulates innovation across all sectors to design and discover new chemicals and materials, production processes, and product stewardship practices; and, increases performance and value while meeting the goals of protectingand enhancing human health and the environment. This program seeks to support basic research through core disciplinary programs aimed at improving the sustainability of resources for future generations while maintaining or improving current products in order to offer technologically-advanced, economically competitive, environmentally-benign and useful materials to a global society. In order to address these challenges, the program aims to identify opportunities for innovation in a wide range of contributing disciplines as well as integrative activities. This program encourages the development of new experimental and theoretical/modeling approaches that will aid in both reductionist and whole-systems approaches. This program welcomes proposals in any area of research supported through the participating divisions that address the topics outlined below. The selected topics are of particular interest to core disciplinary programs in the participating divisions and do not include all funding opportunities and priorities in the area or sustainability at NSF. Proposals are submitted to the relevant core Programs indicated below in the participating Divisions, and all questions regarding proposals should be addressed by the cognizant Program Officers to which submission is contemplated. Proposals should be submitted with the "CAS:" prefix in the title.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

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.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.Arizona22$725 million
Associated Universities IncVirginia18$646 million
California Institute of TechnologyCalifornia148$316 million
Cornell UniversityNew York179$256 million
Florida State UniversityFlorida92$228 million

Top states: California ($1.2 billion), Arizona ($814 million), Virginia ($777 million), New York ($719 million), Illinois ($475 million).

Who has won Geosciences grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Geosciences (47.050) awarded $5.4 billion across 7,605 grant awards, an average of $710,829 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchColorado78$725 million
Woods Hole Oceanographic InstitutionMassachusetts288$627 million
Texas a & M Research FoundationTexas3$287 million
University of California San DiegoCalifornia170$223 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York160$193 million

Top states: Colorado ($905 million), Massachusetts ($785 million), California ($646 million), Texas ($442 million), New York ($304 million).

Who has won Engineering grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Engineering (47.041) awarded $4.3 billion across 11,244 grant awards, an average of $385,774 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Georgia Tech Research CorpGeorgia193$106 million
Purdue UniversityIndiana238$106 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan250$101 million
University of California, San DiegoCalifornia114$96.4 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania59$80.6 million

Top states: California ($485 million), Texas ($346 million), New York ($297 million), Pennsylvania ($269 million), Massachusetts ($265 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 PD-19-9102 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 Critical Aspects of Sustainability?

U.S. National Science Foundation accepted applications from any type of organization.

What is the deadline for Critical Aspects of Sustainability?

Closed. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

Who has won Engineering grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Georgia Tech Research Corp, Purdue University, Regents of the University of Michigan. The program made 11,244 awards worth $4.3 billion in that time.

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