Mathematical and Physical Sciences (47.049)
Mathematical and Physical Sciences (Assistance Listing 47.049) is run by the National Science Foundation. It awarded $8.5 billion in 14,898 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $568,976 per award on average. 41 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.
The typical award was $276,630. Half of the 14,898 awards fell between $145,512 and $454,344, and they ranged from $1 to $260 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$8.5 billion
- Grant awards14,898
- Typical award$276,630
- Awarded in FY 2025$1.7 billion
- Size rank59 of 1824
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $1.7 billion in fiscal 2021 to $1.7 billion in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 59th largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 48% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 53 states and territories.
What the program funds
To promote the progress of the mathematical and physical sciences and thereby strengthen the Nation's scientific enterprise; to increase the store of scientific knowledge and enhance understanding of major problems confronting the Nation.
Open opportunities
- Topology
- Geometric Analysis
- Unlocking Dataset Value for AI-Enabled Scientific Discovery (AI Datasets)
- Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants
- Plasma Physics
- Applied Mathematics
- National Science Foundation Translation to Practice (NSF TTP)
- Computational Mathematics
- Statistics
- Training-based Workforce Development for Advanced Cyberinfrastructure
- Security, Privacy, and Trust in Cyberspace (NSF SaTC)
- EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC)
- Mathematical Sciences Infrastructure Program
- GROWING CONVERGENCE RESEARCH (GCR)
- Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1
- EMERGING FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (EFRI-2026/27): Wave-Based Computing ( EFRI-WBC)
- Pathways to Enable Secure Open-Source Ecosystems (PESOSE)
- NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL)
- EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement (RII): EPSCoR Research Fellows
- Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS)
- EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP)
- Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER)
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
- Joint DMS/NIGMS Initiative to Support Research at the Interface of the Biological and Mathematical Sciences
- NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships (AAPF)
Rules from the program listing
What the money can and cannot pay for
UN002- Specific Restrictions Determined at NOFO Level
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
Range Low: $2,773 Range High: $61,500,000 Average: $166,921
Funding history and past recipients
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.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 80% of the money, businesses 1.3% and individuals 1.1%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 13,969 | $6.8 billion | 80% |
| Other | 231 | $1.5 billion | 17% |
| Businesses | 246 | $111 million | 1.3% |
| Individuals | 440 | $93.0 million | 1.1% |
| Small businesses | 11 | $14.9 million | 0.2% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 1 | $74,643 | 0% |
By state
52 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 1,904 | $1.2 billion |
| Arizona | 286 | $814 million |
| Virginia | 396 | $777 million |
| New York | 1,176 | $719 million |
| Illinois | 811 | $475 million |
| Massachusetts | 905 | $390 million |
| Florida | 442 | $390 million |
| Texas | 969 | $335 million |
| Pennsylvania | 815 | $330 million |
| Michigan | 541 | $243 million |
| New Jersey | 476 | $225 million |
| Indiana | 464 | $222 million |
| North Carolina | 485 | $209 million |
| Colorado | 349 | $193 million |
| Wisconsin | 294 | $184 million |
| Maryland | 370 | $167 million |
| Ohio | 363 | $134 million |
| Washington | 271 | $129 million |
| Georgia | 373 | $123 million |
| Minnesota | 242 | $91.9 million |
| Utah | 201 | $83.6 million |
| District of Columbia | 129 | $79.6 million |
| Rhode Island | 172 | $72.9 million |
| Connecticut | 223 | $71.8 million |
| Nebraska | 93 | $70.3 million |
| Tennessee | 180 | $67.8 million |
| Oregon | 142 | $67.7 million |
| Louisiana | 175 | $61.0 million |
| Missouri | 201 | $58.9 million |
| Alabama | 163 | $49.2 million |
| South Carolina | 136 | $48.3 million |
| Iowa | 126 | $41.9 million |
| Delaware | 74 | $36.4 million |
| Kansas | 112 | $34.3 million |
| Montana | 41 | $32.1 million |
| New Mexico | 78 | $31.9 million |
| Puerto Rico | 19 | $28.2 million |
| Hawaii | 65 | $24.5 million |
| Nevada | 57 | $23.6 million |
| Kentucky | 87 | $23.5 million |
| Mississippi | 74 | $22.2 million |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $18.6 million |
| New Hampshire | 61 | $17.6 million |
| West Virginia | 46 | $14.7 million |
| Wyoming | 25 | $11.9 million |
| Idaho | 44 | $11.5 million |
| Arkansas | 31 | $9.5 million |
| South Dakota | 34 | $8.2 million |
| Vermont | 28 | $6.8 million |
| Maine | 33 | $5.6 million |
| North Dakota | 16 | $4.3 million |
| Alaska | 11 | $1.9 million |
| Guam | 1 | $78,372 |