Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences
Can you apply?
This grant is for institutions and researchers creating computational tools and data infrastructure for social and behavioral sciences research. Universities, research institutions, and eligible nonprofits can apply. Proposals should focus on building new data resources, software platforms, or longitudinal surveys for use by the broader research community—not primary research by the PI. Projects must advance basic research that can improve health, prosperity, or security.
Separate solicitations exist for three flagship studies: the American National Election Study, General Social Survey, and Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Other infrastructure proposals may be submitted directly to RISBS at any time. International collaboration is possible when U.S. institutional involvement leads.
Cost sharing is not required. Innovation in research infrastructure is strongly encouraged.
Program description
The Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences Program (RISBS) supports projects that create computational tools and data to facilitate basic research in the social and behavioral sciences that can lead to improved health, prosperity and security.
Projects should be aimed at creating computational tools and data to enable research by social scientists. Examples include, but are not limited to, data collection or assembly efforts that result in new resources for a community of researchers or software platforms that facilitate data collection efforts by others. RISBS does not support research by PIs except in service of creation of the infrastructure. Innovation is especially encouraged.
RISBS directly supports three key longitudinal surveys and panel studies that provide researchers with data on how American society functions and changes over time (and in 2010 were recognized as among the 60 most significant “discoveries or advances that… have had a large impact or influence on every American’s life… call[ed] the ‘Sensational 60’, in honor of NSF’s 60th anniversary”):
- The American National Election Study, which started in 1948 and has been funded by NSF since 1977, provides “gold standard” data on voting, public opinion, and political participation in U.S. national elections.
- The General Social Survey, a nationally representative interview survey of the U.S. adult population, collects data on a wide range of topics and has been funded by NSF since its inception in 1972.
- The Panel Study of Income Dynamics, a longitudinal survey of a nationally representative sample of U.S. families begun in 1968 (with NSF taking over most of its funding in 1980) collects data on a wide array of economic, social and health factors.
The RISBS program administers separate solicitations for the American National Election Study (ANES), the General Social Survey (GSS) and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). These solicitations have specific requirements and submission deadlines. Other infrastructure proposals may be submitted directly to the RISBS program at any time or transferred from other SBE programs following the respective program’s submission guidelines. RISBS also collaborates with other programs in the social and behavioral sciences through a co-funding process to support projects that create especially valuable tools for researchers in those fields or are furthering innovations in research infrastructure.
Prospective PIs may also be interested in the Human Networks and Data Science Program — Infrastructure(HNDS-I), which supports proposals addressing the development of data resources and relevant analytic techniques that support research in the social, behavioral and economic sciences.Prospective PIs are strongly encouraged to contact the RISBS program officers and/or program officers from other SBE programs that may be applicable to the proposal before submitting to RISBS and to refer to the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) policies on duplicate or substantially similar proposals.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
How to apply
Application links
Key dates & requirements
Required documents
- NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) standard forms (SF-424, NSFPGM2)
- Project Narrative
- Budget and Budget Justification
- Biographical sketches for key personnel
- Facilities and Resources 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
-
$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 8 awards $15.4M
- IL 3 awards $15.1M
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 to this grant?
Universities, research institutions, and nonprofit organizations with research capacity can apply. The PI must lead infrastructure development, not primary research studies.
What types of projects does RISBS fund?
Projects creating computational tools, data collection platforms, longitudinal surveys, or data assembly efforts for the research community. Software that enables data collection by others is encouraged.
Is there a deadline for RISBS proposals?
General RISBS proposals accept rolling submissions. However, the three flagship studies (ANES, GSS, PSID) have separate solicitations with specific deadlines.
What budget range should I expect?
Awards typically range from $400,000 to $2,000,000, depending on project scope and complexity.
Should I contact NSF before applying?
Yes—NSF strongly encourages prospective PIs to contact program officers before submitting to discuss fit and avoid duplicate proposals.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Contact NSF program officers before submitting your proposal to ensure alignment with RISBS priorities and clarify infrastructure focus.
- Frame your project as creating shared community resources, not conducting primary research by your team.
- Emphasize the innovation in your computational tools or data collection approach compared to existing infrastructure.
- If your work touches human networks or data science, review the HNDS-I program to determine the best fit.
- Detail how your infrastructure will serve a broad research community beyond your own institution.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Proposals focused on primary research by the PI rather than infrastructure creation for community use. Insufficient detail on how the computational tool or dataset serves the broader research community. Failure to distinguish this project from overlapping proposals submitted to other NSF social and behavioral sciences programs.
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