Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Open
U.S. National Science Foundation is offering grants of up to $2.0 million (at least $400,000) to any type of organization. It expects to make about 5 awards worth $16.0 million in total. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis or until a date given in the notice.
From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed March 18, 2026. Checked October 31, 2026.
- Award ceiling$2.0 million
- Award floor$400,000
- Expected awards5
- Total funding$16.0 million
- Cost sharingNot required
- Funding typeGrant
Key dates
| Posted | October 5, 2023 |
|---|
Who can apply
This opportunity is 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?
- No cost sharing or match is required.
What the grant funds
The Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Program (RISBS) supports projects that create computational tools and data to facilitate basic research in the social and behavioral sciences that can lead to improved health, prosperity and security. Projects should be aimed at creating computational tools and data to enable research by social scientists. Examples include, but are not limited to, data collection or assembly efforts that result in new resources for a community of researchers or software platforms that facilitate data collection efforts by others. RISBS does not support research by PIs except in service of creation of the infrastructure. Innovation is especially encouraged. RISBS directly supports three key longitudinal surveys and panel studies that provide researchers with data on how American society functions and changes over time (and in 2010 were recognized as among the 60 most significant "discoveries or advances that... have had a large impact or influence on every American’s life... call[ed] the ‘Sensational 60’, in honor of NSF’s 60th anniversary”): The American National Election Study, which started in 1948 and has been funded by NSF since 1977, provides “gold standard” data on voting, public opinion, and political participation in U.S. national elections. The General Social Survey, a nationally representative interview survey of the U.S. adult population, collects data on a wide range of topics and has been funded by NSF since its inception in 1972. The Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. families begun in 1968 (with NSF taking over most of its funding in 1980) collects data on a wide array of economic, social and health factors. The RISBS program administers separate solicitations for the American National Election Study (ANES), the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). These solicitations have specific requirements and submission deadlines. Other infrastructure proposals may be submitted directly to the RISBS program at any time or transferred from other SBE programs following the respective program’s submission guidelines. RISBS also collaborates with other programs in the social and behavioral sciences through a co-funding process to support projects that create especially valuable tools for researchers in those fields or are furthering innovations in research infrastructure.
How to apply
- Read the full notice and attachments on Grants.gov and the agency's announcement. The notice is the official source for deadlines and requirements.
- Make sure your organization has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID; registration can take several weeks.
- Register on Grants.gov and submit through Workspace before the deadline and time given in the notice. Our application guide walks through each step.
Questions go to U.S. National Science Foundation, grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, 703-292-4203.
Questions people ask
Who can apply for Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences?
U.S. National Science Foundation accepts applications from any type of organization.
What is the deadline for Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences?
Rolling or no fixed deadline. Confirm the date and time in the official notice on Grants.gov.
How much funding is available?
Awards of up to $2.0 million each. About $16.0 million in total across about 5 awards.
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