Funding Opportunities
Funding Opportunities
Current ECR funding opportunities include the ECR:Core solicitation as well as broader NSF funding mechanisms that ECR participates in. These distinct funding types have different deadlines and proposal requirements.
Tips for Starting
To explore the below ECR funding opportunities, we suggest you:
- Consider what fundamental research means in your context (see description here).
- Explore example ECR projects for the funding opportunity that most interests you below.
- Read the ECR:Core solicitation.
- Use this recorded ECR Hub workshop to develop a one-pager of your idea.
- Contact an NSF program officer with your one-pager.
- Subscribe to the ECR Hub Mailing List for updates of future community events and resources.
Example Projects by Funding Type
Note: As of December 2025, the solicitation for the ECR: Building Capacity in STEM Education (ECR:BCSER) program (NSF 22-548) has been archived, so ECR:BCSER funding types are not listed below. See also here for recent changes in ECR:Core’s scope.
Click the links below to see example projects for each ECR funding type::
ECR:Core
The ECR:Core solicitation supports fundamental research on STEM undergraduate education, graduate education, higher education, and the STEM workforce. Projects can include up to $2.5M in costs and be up to 5 years in length.
CAREER
The NSF-wide Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program supports early-career researchers at the assistant professor or equivalent rank via 5-year projects that integrate research and education. Though broader than ECR, CAREER also accepts proposals that align with ECR’s focus.
Conference
The ECR:Core solicitation accepts conference proposals, which can be submitted at any time. The conference or meeting should have a well-defined focus that aligns with ECR:Core’s goals for fundamental research.
Mid-Career Advancement
The NSF-wide Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) program provides mid-career researchers with protected time, resources, and the means to gain new skills through partnerships, typically outside the candidate's home institution. Like CAREER, MCA is broader than ECR but also accepts ECR-aligned proposals.
RAPID/EAGER
The NSF-wide Rapid Response Research (RAPID) and EArly-concept Grants for Exploratory Research (EAGER) funding mechanisms are distinct from "regular" NSF proposals. RAPID supports research projects with severe urgency regarding data availability or other resources, and EAGER supports "high risk-high payoff" exploratory work.
Other
The ECR program sometimes also supports projects via other opportunities such as the solicitation for the ECR Hub. ECR also co-funds projects submitted to other NSF programs whose project scope aligns with ECR’s mission (the project search tool does not presently include these co-funded projects).
ECR Funding Details and Next Steps
Click the embedded links below for the solicitation or more information on NSF’s webpage.
After developing a one-pager (see recorded workshop here), we recommend emailing your one-pager to the applicable contact below. You can request to discuss with an NSF program officer about whether your idea aligns with ECR versus another NSF program.
| Funding type | Next deadline(s) | Maximum length | Maximum amount | Email contact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECR:Core | First Thursday in October | 5 years | $2,500,000 | ECR@nsf.gov |
| CAREER | Fourth Wednesday in July | 5 years | None specified | nsf-ccc@nsf.gov or educareer@nsf.gov |
| Conference | Submit any time | 1-2 years typically | $25,000 to $100,00 typically | ECR@nsf.gov or ECRBCSER@nsf.gov |
| MCA | Submission window: February 1 - March 1, annually | 3 years | See solicitation | MCA.info@nsf.gov |
| RAPID | Submit any time | 1 year | $200,000 | ECR@nsf.gov |
| EAGER | Submit any time | 2 years | $300,000 | ECR@nsf.gov |
Further Proposal Development Resources
After your initial idea generation and scoping, consider exploring NSF's Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) which provides detailed guidance and policies applicable to all NSF programs.
