NSF MPS: Grants for Physical & Math Sciences

The Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences (NSF MPS) is the primary federal funding body for foundational research in the physical, chemical, and mathematical sciences across the United States. Operating within the U.S. National Science Foundation, MPS awards competitive federal grants to universities, research centers, and investigators pursuing fundamental inquiries across theoretical and experimental physics, astronomy, materials science, chemistry, and mathematics. MPS also oversees major national research facilities, center-scale consortia, and scientific workforce programs.

What It Is and Who Runs It

As described on the official page on 2026-11-07, the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences is led by the Assistant Director for MPS and comprises five core disciplinary divisions alongside specialized multidisciplinary offices:

Division of Physics (PHY): Supports foundational research spanning atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics, particle physics, nuclear physics, gravitational physics, theoretical physics, and quantum information science.
Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST): Supports ground-based observational astronomy, astrophysics, planetary astronomy, and solar physics, including user facilities at NOIRLab and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).
Division of Materials Research (DMR): Funds discovery across condensed matter physics, solid-state chemistry, polymers, biomaterials, and electronic and photonic materials.
Division of Chemistry (CHE): Funds chemical synthesis, measurement, chemical catalysis, and theoretical chemistry.
Division of Mathematical Sciences (DMS): Supports pure and applied mathematics, algebra, analysis, geometry, statistics, and computational mathematics.
Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA): Coordinates cross-directorate programs, co-funds convergent research, and supports mid-scale research infrastructure.

Eligibility

Eligibility for NSF MPS funding is governed by the official NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG). Eligible submitting organizations include:

Institutions of Higher Education: Accredited two- and four-year U.S. colleges and universities acting on behalf of faculty members.
Non-profit, Non-academic Organizations: Independent research laboratories, observatories, and professional societies in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities.
Tribal Nations: Federally recognized tribal governments and tribal colleges.
For-profit Organizations: U.S. commercial firms when funding facilitates foundational research and aligns with specific solicitations.
Foreign Organizations: Non-U.S. entities are engaged through subawards only when offering unique expertise or capabilities unavailable in the U.S.

Proposals must be authorized and submitted by the institution’s Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) or Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR).

What It Funds or Requires

NSF MPS administers several distinct award mechanisms:

Unsolicited Core Program Grants: Standard and continuing grants typically funding 3 years of investigator salary support, graduate student stipends, postdocs, supplies, and travel.
Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program: Foundation-wide 5-year awards for tenure-track faculty integrating research with educational leadership.
Center-Scale Programs: Institutional awards, including Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) and Physics Frontiers Centers (PFC).
Major Research Instrumentation (MRI): Grants for acquiring or developing critical laboratory instrumentation.

Every proposal submitted to MPS must satisfy two mandatory, co-equal merit review criteria:

Intellectual Merit: The potential to advance knowledge and understanding within or across fields.
Broader Impacts: The potential to benefit society and achieve desired societal outcomes, including STEM training, broadening participation, and public engagement.

Mandatory proposal elements include a Project Summary (with distinct overviews of both criteria), a 15-page Project Description, References Cited, SciENcv Biographical Sketches, Current and Pending Support, Mentoring Plans, and a Data Management and Sharing Plan compliant with federal policies discussed in our comparative guide on NIH vs. NSF data management plans.

Application or Compliance Steps

Submitting a proposal to an NSF MPS division follows six procedural steps:

Identify the Disciplinary Program: Review the active program description on the division website (PHY, AST, DMR, CHE, DMS) to determine if it uses annual submission windows, target dates, or open rolling submissions.
Contact the Cognizant Program Director: Email a one-page overview of research questions, methodology, intellectual merit, and broader impacts to confirm program alignment.
Generate SciENcv Compliance Documents: Prepare all biographical sketches and current and pending support forms through SciENcv to produce certified PDF files.
Assemble the Package in Research.gov: Upload the Project Summary, Project Description (observing the 15-page limit), Budget Justification, Data Management and Sharing Plan, and Mentoring Plans into Research.gov.
Route for Institutional Submission: Submit the package through your university Sponsored Projects Office for AOR sign-off prior to the 5:00 p.m. local submitter deadline.
Track Merit Review: Monitor proposal status in Research.gov as it undergoes standing panel review, external ad hoc peer review, or hybrid evaluation.

Typical Timeline Phases

NSF MPS funding decisions follow a four-phase evaluation cycle spanning approximately six months:

Phase 1: Compliance Screening (Weeks 1 to 4): Program officers verify investigator eligibility, pagination, formatting, and required supplementary attachments. Non-compliant packages are returned without review.
Phase 2: Merit Review and Panel Deliberation (Months 2 to 4): External peer reviewers and standing panels evaluate proposals against Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts criteria and assign consensus ratings.
Phase 3: Program Officer Recommendation (Months 4 to 5): The program director evaluates reviewer scores, portfolio balance, and available appropriations to formulate award recommendations.
Phase 4: Division of Grants and Agreements Review (Months 5 to 6): The DGA performs financial and administrative checks, issuing the official Award Notice to the institution.

Common Mistakes

Proposals submitted to MPS frequently encounter review delays or declines due to common avoidable errors:

Superficial Broader Impacts: Proposing generic outreach without clear goals, dedicated personnel, or institutional integration.
Manual Biosketch Formatting: Submitting non-SciENcv formatted CVs or incomplete current and pending support disclosures.
Unsolicited Letters of Support: Including endorsement letters; NSF allows only factual Letters of Collaboration confirming specific resource access.
Scope Mismatch: Submitting applied engineering projects to pure physics programs, or assays lacking fundamental mechanisms to chemistry panels.
Budget Miscalculations: Omitting mandatory student tuition remission or misapplying institutional indirect cost rates.

Related Programs

Physical science investigators often consider MPS mechanisms alongside counterpart federal and international programs:

Funding Program / Directorate	Primary Agency / Sponsor	Primary Scope and Emphasis	Award Mechanism	Eligibility Restrictions
NSF MPS (Core Programs)	National Science Foundation	Foundational physical, mathematical, and materials sciences; investigator-initiated proposals	Standard & Continuing Grants (3-5 years)	U.S. academic and non-profit research institutions
DOE Office of Science (SC)	U.S. Department of Energy	Mission-driven physical sciences, accelerator facilities, high-energy physics, fusion	Grants, Cooperative Agreements, Field Work Proposals	Universities, national laboratories, and industry consortia
NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD)	NASA (ROSES calls)	Space-based astrophysics, planetary science, and heliophysics	Research Grants, Contracts, and Flight Investigations	Open to government centers, academia, and industry
STFC Research Grants	UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)	Particle physics, astronomy, nuclear physics, and space science in the UK	Consolidated and Project Grants	UK higher education institutions; see our guide on STFC funding
Kavli Foundation Research Institutes	Kavli Foundation	Endowment funding and long-term institute support in astrophysics, nanoscience, and theoretical physics	Endowment gifts and foundation initiatives; see our Kavli Institute overview

Investigators publishing research supported by federal awards must ensure data products and papers receive persistent digital identification with a Crossref DOI.

FAQ

What does NSF MPS stand for?

NSF MPS stands for the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences within the U.S. National Science Foundation.

What are the five core divisions of NSF MPS?

The five core divisions are Astronomical Sciences (AST), Chemistry (CHE), Materials Research (DMR), Mathematical Sciences (DMS), and Physics (PHY).

Do NSF MPS programs have fixed submission deadlines?

Deadlines vary by program. Some divisions use published annual target dates or submission windows, while others accept core unsolicited proposals on an open rolling submission basis. Always check the specific solicitation in Research.gov.

How are proposals evaluated in NSF MPS?

Proposals are evaluated by peer reviewers and review panels against two criteria: Intellectual Merit (scientific novelty and transformative potential) and Broader Impacts (societal benefits, educational training, and workforce development).

Sources

National Science Foundation Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences Portfolio — https://www.nsf.gov/mps (Accessed 2026-11-07)
NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) — https://www.nsf.gov/publications/pappg/ (Accessed 2026-11-07)
NSF Division of Physics (PHY) Program Guidelines and Core Areas — https://www.nsf.gov/mps/phy (Accessed 2026-11-07)
NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences (AST) Facilities and Programs — https://www.nsf.gov/mps/ast (Accessed 2026-11-07)