National Science Foundation facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
U.S. National Science Foundation

Agency overview
Formed	May 10, 1950; 75 years ago (1950-05-10)
Headquarters	2415 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, Virginia, U.S.
Motto	Where Discoveries Begin
Employees	1532 (as of 2025)
Annual budget	$8.28 billion for 2020
Agency executives	Vacant, Director Vacant, Deputy Director Karen A. Marrongelle, Chief Science Officer Brian Stone, Chief of Staff Linnea Avallone, Chief Officer of Research Facilities Vacant, Chief Information Officer (CIO)

Logo used from 1999 to 2009

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is a special agency of the United States federal government. It helps fund important research and education in many areas of science and engineering. The only area it doesn't cover is medical research. That's handled by the National Institutes of Health.

The NSF has a budget of about $9.9 billion each year. It provides money for about 25% of all basic research done by colleges and universities in the United States. For subjects like mathematics, computer science, and social sciences, the NSF is the main source of government funding.

The President of the United States chooses the NSF's director and deputy director. The United States Senate must approve these choices. The NSF also has a group called the National Science Board (NSB). It has 24 members chosen by the President. This board sets the overall rules for the NSF. The director and deputy director manage the daily work and budget.

History of the NSF

How the NSF Started

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) was created by a law in 1950. Its main goal was "to promote the progress of science." It also aimed to improve national health, wealth, and defense. Over the years, the NSF started supporting more areas. These include social sciences, engineering, and science education. The NSF is the only U.S. government agency that supports all non-medical research fields.

NSF Funding and Success

Since the 1980s, the United States Congress has believed that government-funded research is vital. It helps the nation's economy and keeps it competitive globally. It also helps with national defense. Because of this, the NSF's budget grew a lot. It went from $1 billion in 1983 to $8.28 billion in 2020.

The NSF publishes reports every year about its work and finances. It tries to make sure that the money spent on science research gives a high return on investment. This means getting great results for the money spent.

Sometimes, there have been debates about how the NSF spends its money. In the 1980s, some people wanted to cut funding for social sciences. One example was a project about why people fall in love. But most of these proposed cuts did not happen. In 2012, a rule was passed that stopped the NSF from funding political science research. This was unusual because the NSF usually decides its own research priorities.

How NSF Funding Works

In 2020, the NSF received about 42,400 research ideas (proposals). It gave money to 12,100 of them. This means about 28% of proposals got funded. In 2021, the funding rate was about 26.6%. The average amount of money given for a project in 2020 was $153,800. Projects usually lasted about 2.9 years.

Since 2022, the NSF has also started funding open source software projects. This is part of a program to help create open-source communities.

Key Moments in NSF History

Before World War II

Before 1940, the U.S. government didn't get too involved in science research. Most funding for university labs came from private groups. But during World War II, people realized that strong science and engineering were key for military power.

1940s: Creating a Science Agency

After World War II, leaders like President Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to support science. They created groups like the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD). But it took five years to agree on how to set up a national science agency.

A big debate happened between Senator Harley M. Kilgore and Vannevar Bush, who led the OSRD. Bush wrote a famous report in 1945 called "Science—The Endless Frontier." He argued that government funding for science would lead to better health, a stronger economy, and better defense. He suggested creating a new agency.

Kilgore wanted a science agency that was more controlled by the public. He thought the public should own the rights to inventions made with public money. Bush, however, believed scientists should lead the way. He thought scientists should own their research results and patents. He also wanted to focus only on basic research, not social sciences.

After many discussions and different proposals, a compromise bill was finally signed by President Harry S. Truman on May 10, 1950. This created the National Science Foundation. The final law was quite similar to what Vannevar Bush had suggested.

1950s: Early Years and Growth

In 1950, President Truman signed the law creating the NSF. Alan T. Waterman became its first Director in 1951. The NSF's first budget was small, but it started giving out research grants.

In 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first satellite. This made the U.S. focus more on science and education. As a result, the NSF's budget grew a lot.

In 1958, the NSF chose Kitt Peak in Arizona for the first national observatory. This allowed all astronomers to use advanced telescopes. Before this, only astronomers at universities with their own telescopes could use them. The NSF now funds many observatories, working closely with NASA.

Also in 1959, the NSF became responsible for U.S. research in Antarctica. This was after the Antarctic Treaty System was signed, setting aside Antarctica for peaceful science.

1960s: More Growth and Big Projects

In the 1960s, the "Sputnik Crisis" continued to push science forward. The NSF started programs to support research across entire universities. Important projects included creating the National Center for Atmospheric Research (1960) and taking over the Arecibo Observatory (1969). By 1968, the NSF's budget was almost $500 million.

1970s: Expanding Research Areas

In 1972, the NSF took over managing twelve special materials research labs from the Defense Department. These labs brought together different scientists like physicists and chemists. The NSF turned these into a network of Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers. In 1972, the NSF also started publishing a report called "Science & Engineering Indicators" for the President and Congress.

1980s: The Internet's Beginning

During the 1980s, the NSF became more involved in developing the internet. It provided the main financial support for the growing project, which became known as NSFNET. In 1983, the NSF budget went over $1 billion for the first time. This showed that the country saw the importance of science and technology research. In 1985, the NSF helped researchers measure ozone loss at the South Pole. This was important for understanding the ozone hole.

1990s: Internet for Everyone and Big Discoveries

In 1990, the NSF's budget passed $2 billion. The NSF also funded new math teaching methods based on NCTM standards. These standards were used widely, but also caused some debate.

In 1991, the NSFNET changed its rules to allow commercial traffic. By 1995, the NSF shut down NSFNET. This allowed private companies to take over, making the internet available to everyone. In 1993, students at an NSF-supported center developed Mosaic. This was the first web browser that could show both pictures and text. It helped the World Wide Web grow very quickly.

In 1994, the NSF, along with other agencies, started the Digital Library Initiative. One grant went to Stanford University. There, two students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, started working on a search engine. This later became Google.

In 1996, NSF-funded research proved that the air above Antarctica was very unusual. It had high levels of chlorine, which was causing the ozone hole. In 1998, NSF-supported astronomers made a huge discovery. They found that the universe's expansion was speeding up. This led to the idea of dark energy.

2000s: Nanotechnology and Disasters

The NSF joined other agencies in the National Nanotechnology Initiative. This project focuses on understanding and controlling matter at a tiny scale. The NSF invests about $300 million each year in nanotechnology research. In 2001, the NSF's budget passed $4 billion.

The NSF also sent "rapid response" research teams to study major disasters. These included the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster and Hurricane Katrina. An NSF-funded team helped figure out why the levees failed in New Orleans.

2010s: Continued Support and New Partnerships

In 2013, the U.S. government shutdown affected the NSF. Its website was temporarily offline. In 2014, the NSF gave grants to study a chemical spill in West Virginia. In 2018, the NSF started a partnership with the Air Force. This partnership focuses on research in space, advanced materials, and data science.

How NSF Gives Grants

The NSF gives out money through grants to support its mission. These grants are given for a limited time. They are awarded based on specific ideas (proposals) from researchers. Unlike other government agencies, the NSF does not run its own labs. Instead, it funds research at universities and other organizations.

The NSF gets over 50,000 proposals each year. It funds about 10,000 of them. The projects that get funded are chosen through a "merit review" process. This process was updated in 1997. Experts like scientists, engineers, and educators review the proposals. They are chosen carefully to avoid any conflicts of interest. For example, reviewers cannot work for the NSF or the same place as the researchers. All reviews are kept secret. Researchers can see the reviews, but not the names of the reviewers.

There are two main things the reviewers look at. First is the "intellectual merit" of the research. This means how important and new the scientific idea is. Second is the "broader societal impact." This means how the research might help society. This second point has been debated by scientists. However, the National Science Board (NSB) supports both criteria. They believe both are important for the NSF's goals.

Most NSF grants go to individuals or small groups of researchers. They do their work at their own universities. Other grants fund larger research centers, tools, and facilities. These are used by many researchers from different places. Some grants even fund huge national facilities. Examples include NSF's observatories with giant telescopes, its research sites in Antarctica, and its high-speed computer networks.

U.S. National Science Foundation staff on the occasion of the agency's 75th anniversary

Besides research, NSF grants also support science, engineering, and math education. This includes students from pre-kindergarten all the way through graduate school. College students can get funding for summer research programs. Graduate students can get fellowships and training programs. Teachers can also get paid to join research programs. The NSF also has a program called CAREER. It supports teacher-scholars who combine research and education in their work.

How the NSF is Organized

The NSF has about 2,100 people working at its headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. It is divided into four main offices and eight directorates. It also has the National Science Board.

NSF Offices

• Office of the Director
• Office of the Inspector General (checks for proper use of funds)
• Office of Budget, Finance, and Award Management
• Office of Information & Resource Management
• Office of the Chief Information Officer

The NSF also supports research through other offices. These include the Office of Integrative Activities and the Office of International Science and Engineering.

Research Directorates

The NSF organizes its research support into eight main areas, called directorates:

• Biological Sciences: Studies living things, from tiny cells to whole environments.
• Computer and Information Science and Engineering: Focuses on computer science, software, networks, and artificial intelligence.
• Engineering: Covers many types of engineering, like bioengineering, environmental systems, and electrical systems.
• Geosciences: Explores the Earth, its atmosphere, and oceans.
• Mathematical and Physical Sciences: Includes mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry, and materials science.
• Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences: Studies how people think, act, and interact. This includes psychology, sociology, and economics.
• STEM Education and Human Resources: Supports education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education at all levels.
• The newest directorate, created in 2022, is the Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP). Its goal is to help turn basic research into real-world solutions and products.

Cross-Cutting Programs

The NSF also has special projects that bring together experts from many different fields. These often involve working with other U.S. government agencies. Some examples include:

• Nanotechnology (working with tiny materials)
• The science of learning
• Digital libraries
• The study of how infectious diseases spread
• Research on insect farming

National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics

The NSF has a special group called the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES). It collects data about scientists and engineers in America. It also tracks how much money U.S. industries spend on research and development. NCSES is one of the main U.S. agencies that collects statistics.

Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation

The Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation (CIBI) is an NSF program. It funds research on using insects for food and animal feed. CIBI works with three universities: Texas A&M University, IU Indianapolis, and Mississippi State University. They all do different insect research to find out how sustainable it is.

Leaders of the NSF

Here are the people who have led the National Science Foundation as director since 1950:

No.	Portrait	Secretary	Term start	Term end	Field	Notes
1		Alan T. Waterman	April 1951	June 1963	Physics
2		Leland J. Haworth	July 1963	June 1969	Physics
3		William D. McElroy	July 1969	January 1972	Biochemistry
4		H. Guyford Stever	February 1972	August 1976	Physics
acting		Richard C. Atkinson	August 1976	May 1977	Psychology
5			May 1977	June 1980
acting		Donald N. Langenberg	July 1980	December 1980	Physics
6		John B. Slaughter	December 1980	October 1982	Engineering
7		Edward A. Knapp	November 1982	August 1984	Physics
8		Erich Bloch	September 4, 1984	August 31, 1990	Engineering
acting		Frederick M. Bernthal	September 1, 1990	March 3, 1991	Nuclear Chemistry / Physics
9		Walter E. Massey	March 4, 1991	April 2, 1993	Physics
acting		Frederick M. Bernthal	April 5, 1993	October 14, 1993	Nuclear Chemistry / Physics
10		Neal F. Lane	October 15, 1993	August 1998	Physics
11		Rita R. Colwell	August 13, 1998	February 21, 2004	Microbiology
acting		Arden L. Bement, Jr.	February 22, 2004	November 23, 2004	Engineering
12			November 24, 2004	May 31, 2010
acting		Cora B. Marrett	June 1, 2010	October 17, 2010	Sociology
13		Subra Suresh	October 18, 2010	March 31, 2013	Engineering
acting		Cora B. Marrett	April 1, 2013	March 29, 2014	Sociology
14		France A. Córdova	March 30, 2014	March 31, 2020	Astrophysics
acting		Kelvin K. Droegemeier	April 1, 2020	July 1, 2020	Atmospheric Science
15		Sethuraman Panchanathan	July 2, 2020	April 24, 2025	Computer Science
interim		Brian Stone	April 25, 2025	present	Business Administration, Management and Operations

Related Topics

• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Research council
• Scientific literacy
• United States National Academy of Sciences
• USA.gov

See also

In Spanish: Fundación Nacional de Ciencias para niños