National Science Foundation(NSF)
Independent agency funding basic research, STEM education, research infrastructure, and technology translation across nonmedical science and engineering.
Function
Independent agency
Parent
Top-level (no parent)
FY2026 Budget Authority
$10.11B
Official Data
USAspending.govEvidence & Review
Evidence Confidence
HighVerification Status
AI-researched, unverifiedLast Reviewed
Jul 5, 2026
Retrieved On
Jul 5, 2026
Effectiveness Baseline
Performance.gov links NSF goals; GAO and NSF OIG examine major facilities, grant management, and research-security risks.
Efficiency Opportunities
Reduce proposal burden through common biosketch/data tools, better no-award feedback, shared research-security checks, and major-facility cost gates.
Effectiveness Opportunities
Fund high-quality science, broaden talent, improve translation without politicizing peer review, and measure facility uptime and research output.