Perception, Action & Cognition
🏛 U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Jul 15, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for empirically grounded research on human perception, action, and cognition. Eligible applicants typically include academic researchers, faculty at universities, research institutions, and graduate students with institutional support. Research must focus on human perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes in realistic settings and cannot primarily study neural structure/function mappings, clinical populations, or non-human animal behavior. Proposals must demonstrate clear, direct benefits to society through knowledge gained.
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Program description
The aim of the PAC program is to support empirically grounded, theoretically engaged and methodologically sophisticated research in a wide range of topic areas related to human perceptual, motor, and cognitive processes and their interactions. The PAC program welcomes a wide range of perspectives and a variety of methodologies (including computational modeling if the goal is to expand explanatory theories of human perception, action, or cognition). PAC strongly encourages proposals that examine human behavior in realistic (or real-world) scenarios and that include varied subject population. It is expected that knowledge gained from PAC-supported projects will have a clear and direct path towards benefitting society. PAC is open to co-review of proposals submitted to other programs both within the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate and across other directorates.
Note: Proposals may be returned without review if the primary goal of the research is to understand (1) structure/function mappings between PAC processes and neural activity; (2) clinical populations per se; or (3) behavior of non-human animals without a clear and direct impact on our understanding of human perception, action or cognition. Before submitting a proposal, investigators are encouraged to email sbe-pac@nsf.gov with a one-page summary of the proposed research (modeled after the Project Summary page of a standard proposal and including a description of both Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts) in order to confirm appropriateness of the work for the PAC program.
PIs are strongly encouraged to submit the Single Copy Document titled “List of Suggested Reviewers” with their full proposal. Sharing of data and other materials is an expectation for funded research. Please consult the NSFDear Colleague Letter: Effective Practices for Data for more details.
Interested in talking with a program director? Send a one-page description of the proposed research to sbe-pac@nsf.gov.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- Project Summary (including Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts)
- Project Narrative/Proposal
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical sketches of key personnel
- List of Suggested Reviewers (strongly encouraged)
- Data sharing plan
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
-
$8,043,354
-
$7,998,747
-
$5,500,000
-
$5,237,549
-
$5,200,000
-
$5,047,151
Top States by Funding
- MI 9 awards $94.1M
- DC 6 awards $20.0M
- AZ 7 awards $19.6M
- NY 9 awards $17.0M
- IL 4 awards $16.4M
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 researchers, postdocs, and graduate students (with institutional support) at research institutions can apply. Solo individual researchers should confirm eligibility before submitting.
What types of research does PAC support?
Research on human perception, action, and cognition using empirical and theoretically grounded methods. Computational modeling is welcome if it expands explanatory theory.
What research will NOT be funded?
Studies primarily focused on brain structure/function mappings, clinical populations for clinical purposes, or non-human animal behavior without direct human application are ineligible.
When is the deadline?
The fixed deadline is August 3, 2026. Email program directors before submitting a full proposal to confirm appropriateness.
What budget or award information is available?
The total program pool is $7.3 million. Individual award amounts are not specified; contact the program for guidance on typical funding levels.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Contact sbe-pac@nsf.gov with a one-page research summary before full submission to confirm fit with program priorities.
- Design studies with varied subject populations and realistic settings. NSF values ecological validity and diverse participants.
- Include a clear "Broader Impacts" section explaining how your research benefits society beyond academia.
- Submit a "List of Suggested Reviewers" document with your proposal. This is strongly encouraged by the program.
- Plan for data sharing. NSF expects researchers to share data and materials from funded projects according to their DCL guidance.
⚠️ Common mistakes
1. Submitting research primarily on neural imaging or brain mapping without clear links to behavioral theory; NSF will return these without review.
2. Focusing on clinical populations or disorders as the main research goal rather than understanding general perception/action/cognition mechanisms.
3. Omitting realistic, ecologically valid experimental designs; NSF expects research relevant to real-world human behavior.
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