Polar Programs (47.078)
Polar Programs (Assistance Listing 47.078) is run by the National Science Foundation. It awarded $609 million in 1,151 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $528,902 per award on average. 8 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.
The typical award was $231,050. Half of the 1,151 awards fell between $94,256 and $479,880, and they ranged from $1 to $24.7 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$609 million
- Grant awards1,151
- Typical award$231,050
- Awarded in FY 2025$114 million
- Size rank329 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants
Key findings
- Annual funding fell from $145 million in fiscal 2021 to $114 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 329th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 68% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 49 states and territories.
What the program funds
To strengthen and enhance the national scientific enterprise through the expansion of fundamental knowledge and increased understanding of the polar regions. To encourage and support basic research that is best conducted in or can only be conducted in the Arctic and Antarctic.
Open opportunities
- National Science Foundation Translation to Practice (NSF TTP)
- EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Improvement Program: Focused EPSCoR Collaborations (FEC)
- Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI)
- Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS)
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
- Historically Black Colleges and Universities - Excellence in Research (HBCU - EiR)
- National Science Foundation National Innovation Corps Teams (NSF National I-CorpsTM Teams) Program
- Facilitating Research at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions: (RUI and ROA-PUI)
Rules from the program listing
What the money can and cannot pay for
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: $26,000 Range High: $55,000,000 Average: $394,399
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Polar Programs (47.078) awarded $609 million across 1,151 grant awards, an average of $528,902 per award.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 93% of the money, businesses 4.7% and small businesses 0.4%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 1,060 | $566 million | 93% |
| Businesses | 53 | $28.6 million | 4.7% |
| Other | 24 | $11.5 million | 1.9% |
| Small businesses | 12 | $2.7 million | 0.4% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 2 | $342,866 | less than 0.1% |
By state
38 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska | 101 | $82.0 million |
| California | 122 | $72.9 million |
| Massachusetts | 106 | $48.4 million |
| Oregon | 58 | $47.8 million |
| Colorado | 97 | $41.0 million |
| Wisconsin | 21 | $35.9 million |
| New York | 82 | $33.0 million |
| Washington | 75 | $31.4 million |
| New Hampshire | 26 | $27.3 million |
| Illinois | 22 | $22.2 million |
| Minnesota | 15 | $19.8 million |
| Texas | 30 | $17.7 million |
| New Jersey | 20 | $14.1 million |
| District of Columbia | 16 | $11.7 million |
| Ohio | 27 | $9.5 million |
| Maryland | 15 | $8.3 million |
| Pennsylvania | 27 | $7.8 million |
| Arizona | 23 | $6.8 million |
| Georgia | 16 | $6.1 million |
| Rhode Island | 18 | $5.9 million |
| Virginia | 20 | $5.2 million |
| Montana | 13 | $5.0 million |
| Maine | 22 | $4.7 million |
| Florida | 23 | $4.7 million |
| Michigan | 17 | $4.2 million |
| Nevada | 13 | $4.1 million |
| North Carolina | 15 | $3.8 million |
| Utah | 10 | $3.7 million |
| Alabama | 10 | $3.4 million |
| Connecticut | 13 | $3.0 million |
| Oklahoma | 7 | $2.2 million |
| Wyoming | 6 | $1.7 million |
| Tennessee | 8 | $1.6 million |
| Kansas | 7 | $1.3 million |
| Delaware | 6 | $1.2 million |
| Missouri | 3 | $1.2 million |
| Indiana | 7 | $1.1 million |
| New Mexico | 6 | $1.1 million |
| Nebraska | 2 | $983,260 |
| South Dakota | 3 | $868,107 |
| Idaho | 4 | $799,119 |
| Vermont | 4 | $704,357 |
| Iowa | 4 | $637,203 |
| Hawaii | 3 | $630,510 |
| Louisiana | 3 | $436,803 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $219,714 |
| Kentucky | 1 | $197,770 |
| Arkansas | 1 | $120,730 |
| South Carolina | 1 | $1,505 |