Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program (HEGS)
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 8, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for researchers studying human-environment interactions and geographical sciences. Eligible applicants include universities, community colleges, nonprofit research organizations, museums, professional societies, for-profit research companies, state and local governments, and federally recognized tribal nations. All applicants must be U.S.-based or have a U.S. campus. Research must advance geographical theory through rigorous, generalizable methods (quantitative, qualitative, or mixed) and address human dimensions relevant to society.
The program funds basic scientific research only—not humanistic interpretations or non-reproducible findings. Proposals must demonstrate clear data collection plans, methodological justification, data analysis approaches, and attention to bias and confounding variables. Work that simply applies geographic methods without contributing to broader geographical science theory will be rejected without review.
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Program description
The objective of the Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program is to support basic scientific research about the nature, causes, consequences, or evolution of the spatial dimensions of human behaviors, activities, and dynamics as well as their interactions with environmental and social processes across a range of scales. Contemporary geographical research encompasses diverse research traditions and methodologies. Recognizing the breadth of the field’s contributions to science, the HEGS Program welcomes proposals for empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, methodologically rigorous, and generalizable research that advances geographical and geospatial sciences.
Because the National Science Foundation’s mandate is to support fundamental scientific research, the HEGS program cannot fund research that takes as its primary goal humanistic interpretations or findings that are not generalizable or reproducible. HEGS welcomes proposals that utilize quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods in novel ways. However, a proposal that applies geographical or geospatial methods to a geographic problem without proposing how that problem provides an opportunity to make a theory-testing or theory-expanding contribution to geographical science, broadly defined, will be returned without review. HEGS supported projects are expected to yield results that will enhance, expand, and transform fundamental geographical theory and geospatial methods and that will have broader impacts that benefit society.
Generally, successful HEGS proposals should describe clear and detailed plans for data collection (including sample selection if appropriate), justification for proposed methods, plans for data analysis, attention to confounding variables, and efforts to address biases (e.g., confirmatory biases, selection biases, etc.). Competitive HEGS proposals should substantiate the validity of findings and generalizability to broader contexts.
It should be noted that HEGS is situated in the Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Division of the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate at NSF. Therefore, it is critical that research projects submitted to the HEGS program illustrate how the proposed research questions engage human dimensions that are relevant and important to people and societies.
A proposal that fails to be responsive to these program expectations will be returned without review.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- NSF PAPPG compliance documents (SF-424, project narrative, budget, budget justification)
- Data management plan
- Biographical sketches of key personnel
- Current and pending support documentation
- Letters of collaboration or support (if applicable)
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
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$38,357,018
-
$18,499,999
-
$13,999,656
-
$10,999,998
-
$8,993,747
-
$8,043,354
-
$5,500,000
-
$5,237,549
-
$5,200,000
-
$5,047,151
Top States by Funding
- MI 9 awards $94.1M
- DC 6 awards $20.7M
- IL 5 awards $19.5M
- MA 7 awards $18.5M
- NY 9 awards $17.0M
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 submit to HEGS?
Universities, community colleges, nonprofit research organizations, museums, for-profit research companies, state/local governments, and federally recognized tribal nations. All must be U.S.-based or have a U.S. campus.
What type of research does HEGS fund?
Basic scientific research on human-environment interactions and spatial dimensions of human behavior. Research must test or expand geographical theory and use rigorous, reproducible methods.
What won't HEGS fund?
Humanistic interpretations, non-generalizable findings, or research that applies geographic methods without contributing to geographical theory. Proposals that don't clearly articulate theoretical advancement get rejected without review.
What makes a competitive proposal?
Clear plans for data collection and analysis, justified methodology, attention to bias and confounding variables, validity assessment, and demonstrated generalizability. Strong proposals advance geographical theory with rigorous methods.
What is the funding range and deadline?
Total program funding is $7 million. The deadline is January 15, 2027. No cost sharing is required.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Lead with the theoretical contribution. Clearly explain how your research advances or tests geographical science theory, not just how it applies geographic methods.
- Address bias and confounds upfront. Reviewers expect detailed discussion of confirmatory bias, selection bias, and other methodological threats to validity.
- Show generalizability. Explain why your findings will apply beyond the specific case or context you study. Test or build broader theory.
- Mix methods strategically. Whether you use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed approaches, justify why those methods best answer your research questions about human-environment interactions.
- Emphasize human dimensions. Show how your work is relevant to people, communities, and society—not just academic geography. Connect to real-world problems and impacts.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Applying geographic or geospatial methods to a problem without explaining the theoretical contribution to geographical science. Humanistic or interpretive work that isn't reproducible or generalizable gets rejected without review. Failing to address bias, confounding variables, or validity threats in your methodology.
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