National Science Foundation

Overview

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that funds basic research and education across nearly all fields of science and engineering. Established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, its mission is to promote the progress of science, advance national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense.

Key functions and role

NSF is the primary federal source of funding in fields including mathematics, computer science, economics and the social sciences, funding roughly a quarter of all federally supported basic research conducted at U.S. colleges and universities. It operates chiefly by issuing competitive, limited-term grants selected through peer review, and it supports science, engineering and mathematics education from pre-kindergarten through graduate school, including the Graduate Research Fellowships program. NSF's work is organized into several directorates and offices, with overall policy set by the presidentially appointed National Science Board.

History

NSF grew out of Vannevar Bush's 1945 report "Science: The Endless Frontier," which recommended a federal agency to fund basic scientific research and training. Congress established NSF in 1950 under President Harry Truman. Over subsequent decades the agency expanded into new fields, including materials research in 1971 and computer science in the 1980s; NSF-funded supercomputer centers linked in 1986 to form NSFNET, an early backbone of the modern internet. The agency marked its 75th anniversary in 2025. In April 2025, NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan resigned amid federal grant terminations and workforce reductions ordered under the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency initiative; on April 28, 2026, the president removed all 24 members of the National Science Board.

Political positions

NSF is a nonpartisan federal science agency whose director and deputy director are presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed. Its funding decisions have periodically drawn political controversy, including 1980s-era proposals to cut its social-science budget and, in 2025 and 2026, disputes over Trump administration grant terminations targeting diversity, environmental-justice and misinformation-related research, along with proposed steep cuts to the agency's overall budget.

Leadership

As of mid-2026, NSF has no Senate-confirmed director following Sethuraman Panchanathan's April 2025 resignation; Brian Stone, NSF's Chief of Staff, has been performing the duties of the Director. Dr. Simon Malcomber serves as Chief Science Officer and Micah Cheatham as Chief Management Officer.

Location and contact info

Address
National Science Foundation
2415 Eisenhower Avenue
Alexandria, VA 22314, USA
Phone
(703) 292-5111
Email
info@nsf.gov
Website
https://www.nsf.gov