Mechanics of Materials and Structures
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 17, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers and academic institutions conducting fundamental research in mechanics of materials and structures. Eligible applicants include university faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and research scientists at academic institutions and national laboratories. The program supports experimental, theoretical, and computational research on deformation, fracture, fatigue, structural response, and advanced computing methods for mechanics problems. Geographic scope is national.
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Program description
The Mechanics of Materials and Structures program supports fundamental research in mechanics as related to the behavior of deformable solid materials and structures under internal and external actions. The program supports a diverse spectrum of research with emphasis on transformative advances in experimental, theoretical, and computational methods. Submitted proposals should clearly emphasize the contributions to the field of mechanics.
Proposals related to material response are welcome, including, but not limited to, advances in fundamental understanding of deformation, fracture, and fatigue as well as contact and friction. Proposals that relate to structural response are also welcome, including, but not limited to, advances in the understanding of nonlinear deformation, instability and collapse, and wave propagation. Proposals addressing mechanics at the intersection of materials and structures, such as, but not limited to, meta-materials, hierarchical, micro-architectured and low-dimensional materials are also encouraged.
Proposals that explore and build upon advanced computing techniques and tools to enable major advances in mechanics are particularly welcome. For example, proposals incorporating reduced-order modeling, data-driven techniques, and/or stochastic methods with a strong emphasis on validation are encouraged. Also welcome are proposals addressing data analytics for deformation or damage response deduction from large experimental and computational data sets. Similarly, proposals that explore new experimental techniques to capture deformation and failure information for extreme ranges of loading or material behavior are also encouraged. Finally, experimental and computational methods that address information across multiple length and time scales, potentially involving multiphysics considerations are also welcome.
Proposals with a focus on buildings and civil infrastructure system are welcome in CMMI and should be submitted to the program on Structural and Architectural Engineering Materials (SAEM). Proposals addressing processing and mechanical performance enhancements should be submitted to the Materials Engineering and Processing (MEP) program. Investigators with proposals focused on design methodological approaches and theory enabling the accelerated development and insertion of materials should consider the Design of Engineering Material Systems (DEMS) program. Lastly, investigators with interest in developing a combined theoretical and experimental approach to accelerate materials discovery and development should direct their proposals to the Designing Materials to Revolutionize and Engineer Our Future (DMREF) opportunity.
Proposers are actively encouraged to email a one-page project summary to MOMS@nsf.gov before full proposal submission to determine if the research topic falls within the scope of the MOMS program.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- NSF PAPPG standard forms (SF-424, cover sheet)
- Project Narrative/Proposal
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical sketches
- Current/Pending support
- One-page project summary (strongly encouraged to email MOMS@nsf.gov first)
Program contact
- 👤 National Science Foundation
- 📧 grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov
- 📞 703-292-4261
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 47.041 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
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$41,946,862
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$39,155,237
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$38,277,956
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$37,936,436
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$36,940,111
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$36,277,271
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$36,183,087
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$32,471,912
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$32,414,114
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$31,561,058
Top States by Funding
- TX 3 awards $90.6M
- CA 7 awards $85.0M
- IL 5 awards $83.9M
- AZ 2 awards $68.7M
- NC 2 awards $63.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 47.041). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $752,230,000 | |
| 2025 | $727,730,000 | |
| 2026 est. | $181,990,000 |
FAQ
Who can apply for this grant?
University researchers, postdocs, and scientists at academic and research institutions can apply. Typically through an institution with NSF grant-making authority.
What kind of research does this program fund?
Fundamental research in mechanics of materials and structures, including deformation, fracture, fatigue, and structural behavior. Advanced computational and experimental methods are particularly welcome.
What should I submit before the full proposal?
A one-page project summary to MOMS@nsf.gov is strongly encouraged before submission. This confirms your research fits the program scope.
What does the application timeline look like?
The program has rolling deadlines, so there is no single submission date. Check NSF.gov for specific deadlines throughout the year.
Should I submit related civil infrastructure or materials processing proposals here?
No. Civil infrastructure proposals go to SAEM, materials processing to MEP, and materials discovery acceleration to DMREF.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Email a one-page summary to MOMS@nsf.gov before submitting your full proposal. This confirms your research topic is in scope.
- Emphasize transformative advances and clear contributions to the mechanics field, not incremental improvements.
- Highlight experimental, theoretical, or computational methods that are novel or enable major breakthroughs.
- Multi-scale, multiphysics approaches, and data-driven techniques are particularly competitive.
- Carefully review scope boundaries; misdirected proposals on civil infrastructure or materials processing will be redirected.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals lack clear emphasis on fundamental mechanics contributions or appear incremental. Applicants submit civil infrastructure, materials processing, or design methodology work that belongs in sister programs (SAEM, MEP, DEMS). Projects missing connection to NSF's focus on transformative advances in experimental, theoretical, or computational mechanics.
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