Sociology
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 20, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for academic researchers and institutions pursuing basic research in sociology. Eligible applicants include university faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and research institutions with Principal Investigator status. Projects must be theoretically grounded and based on empirical observation or empirical validation of social processes, institutions, and demographic phenomena.
NSF encourages applications from underrepresented groups and institutions. Both individual research grants and specialized programs (CAREER, ADVANCE, fellowships) are available. International collaborations are permissible within NSF guidelines.
Research scope includes organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, labor participation, stratification, families, social networks, and science-technology studies. Both quantitative and qualitative methodologies are supported, including original data collection and secondary analysis.
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Program description
The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization— societies, institutions, groups and demography— and processes of individual and institutional change. The program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes. This includes research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, and the sociology of science and technology. The program supports both original data collection and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools. Theoretically grounded projects that offer methodological innovations and improvements for data collection and analysis are also welcomed.
Principal Investigators should selectPD 98-1331in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal cover sheet for submission of regular research projects to the sociology program. Projects are evaluated using the two foundation-wide criteria, intellectual merit and broader impacts. In assessing the intellectual merit of proposed research, four components are key to securing support from the Sociology Program: (1) the issues investigated must be theoretically grounded; (2) the research should be based on empirical observation or be subject to empirical validation or illustration; (3) the research design must be appropriate to the questions asked; and (4) the proposed research must advance our understanding of social processes, structures and methods.
NSF also offers a number of specialized funding opportunities through its crosscutting and cross-directorate activities; some of the sociology-related opportunities are listed below.
Crosscutting Research & Training Opportunities:
- ADVANCE: Increasing the Participation and Advancement of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Careers
- Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program
- Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
- Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) Program
- Mid-scale Research Infrastructure Programs
- SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (SPRF)
- Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU)
- Research at Undergraduate Institutions (RUI)
- Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program
To get information about these programs and others, please visit thecross-cutting and NSF-wide active funding opportunitiessearch page.
NSF’s mission calls for the broadening of opportunities for and expanding participation of groups, institutions and geographic regions that are underrepresented in STEM disciplines, which is essential to the health and vitality of science and engineering. NSF is committed to this principle of diversity and deems it central to the programs, projects and activities it considers and supports.
NSF is also committed to public access to publications and data, unless there are countervailing interests that prohibit or limit public access to data, including matters of personally identifiable information of research participants, privacy or other issues of vulnerability such as economic, social or other security interests, etc.). SeePublic Access to Results of NSF-Funded ResearchandData Management for NSF SBE Directorate Proposals and Awards for more information.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (federal form)
- Project Narrative (per current solicitation page limit)
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Data Management Plan
- Biographical Sketches (PI and key personnel)
- Current and Pending Support documentation
- Institutional Commitment letters
Program contact
- 👤 U.S. National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4203
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.075 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$38,357,018
-
$18,499,999
-
$13,999,656
-
$10,999,998
-
$8,993,747
-
$8,043,354
-
$5,237,549
-
$5,200,000
-
$5,047,151
-
$4,500,000
Top States by Funding
- MI 9 awards $94.1M
- DC 6 awards $20.7M
- MA 7 awards $18.5M
- NY 9 awards $17.0M
- CA 8 awards $14.8M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.075). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $292,390,000 | |
| 2025 | $219,410,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $92,200,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
Faculty at research institutions, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and established research groups can apply. You need Principal Investigator eligibility status and institutional affiliation.
What types of research does the program fund?
The program funds theoretically grounded empirical research in sociology, including organizational studies, demography, social movements, family research, and methodology development. Both quantitative and qualitative approaches are welcome.
What are the evaluation criteria?
NSF uses two main criteria: intellectual merit and broader impacts. Your proposal must be theoretically sound, empirically grounded, use appropriate research design, and advance understanding of social processes.
Are there specialized funding tracks available?
Yes. NSF offers CAREER awards, ADVANCE (women in STEM), postdoctoral fellowships, graduate fellowships, and REU programs alongside standard research grants.
What must be included in the proposal?
All NSF proposals require a project narrative, budget with justification, data management plan, and institutional support documentation. Check the current Program Solicitation for detailed requirements.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Make your research question theoretically grounded before you write anything. NSF reviewers prioritize strong theoretical frameworks over exploratory work.
- Address both intellectual merit and broader impacts equally. Vague broader impacts statements are a common rejection reason.
- Use appropriate methodology for your research question. Mismatched research design is a red flag to reviewers.
- Explain how your work advances fundamental understanding of social processes, not just description or application alone.
- Include a thorough data management plan addressing public access, participant privacy, and data preservation per NSF guidelines.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Weak theoretical grounding or treating research as exploratory rather than hypothesis-driven. Vague or generic broader impacts statements disconnected from the actual research. Misaligned research design that doesn't appropriately address the stated research questions.
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