Selected Open Funding Opportunities
RDO curates this list of open funding opportunities in STEM* to highlight large, collaborative, and/or strategic funding opportunities that may be of particular interest to the Stanford community. Please note that STEM* includes social sciences that utilize quantitative methods.
Summaries of selected funding opportunities have been compiled from Grants.gov, Grants.ca.gov, and other agency announcements below. See our Find Funding Overview for more ways to search funding opportunities in your area of interest. This page will be regularly updated to spotlight new opportunities.
Looking for something you've seen here in the past? Review past opportunities in our archive (SUNet ID required).
Federal
| Title/Sponsor | Next Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NSF GCR: Growing Convergence Research (NSF 24-527) | 02/10/25 | The aim of GCR is to cultivate and grow the earliest foundations of convergent approaches for addressing a specific and compelling problem. As such, proposals submitted to this solicitation are expected to explore novel avenues not previously investigated that are at the forefront of advancing science through deep integration. Proposers must make a convincing case that the research to be conducted is within NSF's purview, integrates across NSF directorate or division boundaries, and is currently not supported by other NSF programs or solicitations. | 5 years total: up to $1.2M for first two years, up to $2.4M for last three years |
| NSF BII: Biology Integration Institutes (NSF 23-511) | 02/18/25 | Supports diverse and collaborative teams of researchers investigating questions that span multiple disciplines within and beyond biology. The goal is to stimulate creative integration of disparate fields using innovative experimental, theoretical, and modeling approaches to discover underlying principles operating across multiple levels of life, from molecules to cells, organisms, species, ecosystems, biomes and the entire Earth. Funding will be at a higher level and for a longer time frame than is typical for standard NSF awards. The Institutes must enable an environment conducive to integration of research, infrastructure, resources, and training, explore new modes of collaboration, and prepare the next generation of biological scientists to be leaders who pursue multidisciplinary research throughout their careers. While this solicitation focuses on the integration of biological subdisciplines, any field beyond biology may be included as needed to address the overarching biological theme. |
Up to $15M over 6 years; webinar recorded |
| NSF Smart and Connected Communities (NSF 25-527) | 02/20/25 or 09/08/25 prelim proposal | Supports use-inspired research that addresses communities' social, economic and environmental challenges. Projects must work with community stakeholders on pilots that integrate intelligent technologies with the natural and built environments. The S&CC program supports integrative research that addresses fundamental technological and social science dimensions of smart and connected communities and pilots solutions together with communities. Importantly, this program is interested in projects that consider the sustainability of the research outcomes beyond the life of the project, including the scalability and transferability of the proposed solutions. | Development (1 year $150k max), Integrative Research (3-4 years $1.5M max), and Large-Scale (4-5 years, $4-5M) project types |
| DOD Minerva Research Initiative | 02/28/25 | The Minerva Research Initiative supports social science research aimed at improving our basic understanding of security, broadly defined. All supported projects are university-based and unclassified, with the intention that all work be shared widely to support thriving stable and safe communities. The goal is to improve DoD’s basic understanding of the social, cultural, behavioral, and political forces that shape regions of the world of strategic importance to the U.S. | up to $1M per year, with a three- to five-year period of performance |
| NSF IUCRC: Industry University Cooperative Research Centers (NSF 20-570) | 03/12/25 preproposal | The IUCRC program provides a structure for academic researchers to conduct fundamental, pre-competitive research of shared interest to industry and government organizations. These organizations pay membership fees to a consortium so that they can collectively envision and fund research, with at least 90% of Member funds allocated to the direct costs of these shared research projects. Principal Investigators form a Center around emerging research topics of current research interest, in a pre-competitive space but with clear pathways to applied research and commercial development. Industry partners join at inception, as an existing Center grows or they inspire the creation of a new Center by recruiting university partners to leverage NSF support. Government agencies participate in IUCRCs as Members or by partnering directly with NSF at the strategic level. | multiple due dates per year for pre and full proposals |
| NSF CAIG: Collaborations in AI and Geosciences (NSF 25-530) | 04/02/25 | The Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences (CAIG) program seeks to advance the development and adoption of innovative artificial intelligence (AI) methods to increase scientific understanding of the Earth system. The program supports projects that advance AI techniques and/or innovative uses of sophisticated or novel AI methods to enable significant breakthroughs in addressing geoscience research question(s) by building partnerships between experts in AI and Geosciences. The key characteristic of a CAIG project is its potential to both answer important geoscience questions and improve AI techniques while also bringing together experts from both the AI and geoscience fields. |
strongly encourage to contact a program officer to discuss scope and focus |
| DOE Office of Science "Open Call" (DE-FOA-0003432) | rolling through 9/30/25 | The FY 2025 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program (aka "open call") is the Office of Science's (SC's) annual open solicitation that covers all research areas in the Office's Divisions and is open throughout the Fiscal Year. Any research within SC’s Congressionally authorized mission may be proposed under this NOFO, including larger multi-PI proposals. | Historically $5k-$5M; 6mo- 5yrs (3yrs most common) |
| DOD R&D Dreicted Energy University Assistance Instruments | rolling through 07/18/29 | The AFRL Directed Energy Directorate is interested in receiving applications under this announcement to establish assistance agreements with U.S. /U.S. territories’ colleges and universities for directed energy-related basic, applied, and advanced research projects that provide a public purpose and are of interest to the Department of Defense mission. The scope of the research will include the entire spectrum of directed energy technology applicable to the Air Force, including all tangentially related directed energy. The research shall include, but not be limited to the following Core Technical Competencies (CTCs): Laser Systems, Directed Energy and Electro-Optics for Space Superiority, High Power Electromagnetics, and Weapons Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis. | rollling deadlines annually through 2029 or until $49M program ceiling is met |
| NSF MultiPLEX: Multilateral Partnerships Leveraging Excellence (PD-24-7298) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Office of International Science and Engineering’s MultiPLEx program seeks to support visionary, and ambitious international multilateral research partnerships that are required to hasten progress in addressing grand challenges by leveraging research excellence in the U.S. and around the globe. The program also seeks to advance understanding of effective multilateral collaboration. MultiPLEx funds support the U.S. research team. Research partners should seek funding from their own national funding agencies or from other sources. Proposals submitted to MultiPLEX must fall outside the scope of existing OISE or directorate programs. | Funding levels vary, typically up to 3 years duration; highly reccommended to contact Program Officer |
| NSF RISBS: Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (PD 23-277Y) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | 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. |
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| NSF Environmental Sustainability (PD 23-7643) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The goal of the Environmental Sustainability program is to promote sustainable engineered systems that support human well-being and that are also compatible with sustaining natural (environmental) systems. These systems provide ecological services vital for human survival. Research efforts supported by the program typically consider long time horizons and may incorporate contributions from the social sciences and ethics. The program supports engineering research that seeks to balance society's need to provide ecological protection and maintain stable economic conditions. |
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| NSF Infrastructure Innovation for Biological Research (NSF 23-578) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Innovation Program supports research to design novel or greatly improved research tools and methods that advance contemporary biology in any research area supported by the Directorate for Biological Sciences at NSF. The Innovation Program focuses on research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to researchers in three programmatic areas: Bioinformatics, Instrumentation, and Research Methods. Infrastructure supported by this program is expected to advance biological understanding by improving scientists’ abilities to manipulate, control, analyze, or measure critical aspects of biological systems, which can be essential for addressing important fundamental research questions. |
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| NSF Infrastructure Capacity for Biological Research (NSF 23-580) | open, full proposals accepted anytime | The Capacity Program focuses on building capacity in research infrastructure that is broadly applicable to a wide range of researchers in three programmatic areas: Cyberinfrastructure, Biological Collections, and Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories. This program will also accept proposals for planning activities or workshops to facilitate coordination that may be necessary in building capacity in infrastructure that meets the needs of a research community. Areas not included in this program are instrumentation (PIs should submit to the MRI program) and, projects that develop infrastructure for a specific research project, laboratory, or institution (PIs should submitted to the relevant BIO programs that would normally support that research). |
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| NSF RCN: Research Coordination Networks (NSF 23-529) | rolling; varies by program | The goal of the RCN program is to advance a field or create new directions in research or education by supporting groups of investigators to communicate and coordinate their research, training and educational activities across disciplinary, organizational, geographic, and international boundaries. RCN awards are not meant to support existing networks; nor are they meant to support the activities of established collaborations. RCN awards also do not support primary research. Rather, the RCN program supports the means by which investigators can share information and ideas; coordinate ongoing or planned research activities; foster synthesis and new collaborations; develop community standards; and in other ways advance science and education through communication and sharing of ideas. Participating programs in the Directorates for Biological Sciences (BIO), Computer and Information Science and Engineering (CISE), Geosciences (GEO), STEM Education (EDU), Engineering (ENG), Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE), and Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP) will accept RCN proposals. PIs are encouraged to discuss suitability of an RCN topic with a program officer that manages the appropriate program. For proposals submitted to the CISE, ENG, SBE and TIP directorates consultation PRIOR to submission is mandatory | $500k; deadline varies by program, webpage indicates a full proposal is "accepted anytime" |
| NSF DCL: Net-Zero Climate Goals by 2050 (NSF 24-045) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Net-Zero Climate Goals, including innovations to create a circular economy; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Advanced Wireless (NSF 24-041) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Advanced Wireless as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Biotechnology (NSF 24-040) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Biotechnology as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Quantum Information Science and Engineering (NSF 24-042) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to QISE as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Artificial Intelligence (NSF 24-039) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to AI as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Advanced Manufacturing (NSF 24-043) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Advanced Manufacturing as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
| NSF DCL: Microelectronics and Semiconductors (NSF 24-038) | varies | Dear Colleague Letter encouraging submission of research and education proposals related to Microelectronics and Semiconductors as an Emerging Industry; summary of topics of interest and programs to consider | apply to core programs with topics listed |
Find medical-related funding opportunities at Stanford Medicine's Research Management Group
State
| Title/Sponsor | Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CEC: Cost Share for Federal Clean Energy Funding Opportunities (GFO-21-901) | open, no deadline | Opportunity to apply for State cost share for federal clean energy funding opportunities. Lists specific federal opportunities in the solicitation, and also includes link to a form to suggest additional federal programs beyond those that are listed. | Workshop presentation slides (ppt file) |
| CEC: Evaluating Air Quality, Health, and Equity in CA's Clean Energy Transition | not yet released | To advance research on air quality and health impacts of clean energy transitions in CA and to develop framework to equitably allocate benefits of energy transition fairly among under-resourced communities | anticipated release date was March-June 2024, still to come |
| CEC: Modeling and Monitoring Air Quality and Co-benefits of Energy Interventions | not yet released | To improve existing ambient air quality modeling and measurement approaches and conduct analyses to quantify the air quality implications and related human health impacts of clean energy interventions across energy use sectors. | anticipated release Dec '24 - Jan '25 |
Find more funding opportunities from the State of California at the California Grants Portal
Foundations
| Title/Sponsor | Deadline | Description | Amount/Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Evidence for Action: Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity | Open | Evidence for action prioritizes research to evaluate specific interventions that have the potential to counteract the harms of structural and systemic racism and improve health, well-being, and equity outcomes. This funding is focused on studies about upstream causes of health inequities, such as the systems, structures, laws, policies, norms, and practices that determine the distribution of resources and opportunities, which in turn influence individuals' options and behaviors. Research should center on the needs and experiences of communities exhibiting the greatest health burdens and be motivated by real-world priorities. It should be able to inform a specific course of action and/or establish beneficial practices, not stop at characterizing or documenting the extent of a problem. | varies, $200-500k |
| Simons Foundation: Targeted Grants in Mathematics and Physical Sciences | Open | This program supports high-rish theoretical mathematics, physics, and computer science projects of exceptional promise and scientific importance on a case-by-case basis | Letter of inquiry accepted any time |
Find more funding opportunities from foundations at Stanford University Corporate and Foundation Relations
Other
Other funding opportunities can also be found on the funding page curated by Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing
Recurring Funding Opportunities by Topic
The RDO team has curated lists and gathered other resources on funding opportunities that recur and organized them by subject/topic
Funding Opportunities in the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences
The RDO team also curates a list of funding opportunities for researchers in the Humanities, Arts, and Interpretive Social Sciences.