The NSF provides financial support in a wide range of scientific areas, from astronomy to zoology. In addition to funding research in the traditional academic areas, the agency also supports "high risk, high pay off" ideas, novel collaborations and projects that may seem like science fiction today, but may be commonplace tomorrow.

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With an annual budget of $8.5 billion, NSF makes about 12,000 new grant awards each year, providing support for all fields of fundamental science and engineering, including energy innovation and energy efficiency (information on which can be found in the Engineering Research Area).

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There are four ways to find relevant NSF grant opportunities:

to Scroll Thru Funding Opportunities

e.g., Engineering

The NSF also provides funding through America's Seed Fund. The fund helps startups and small businesses transform their ideas into marketable products and services. The NSF focuses on high-risk, high-impact technologies — those that show promise but whose success hasn’t yet been validated — awarding $200 million in funding each year to entrepreneurs across the country.

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Awardees receive the funding they need as a startup or small business to commercialize technically risky ideas.

Awardees work with a program director, who serves as their mentor and advocate. Awardees retain full control of their team, their technical vision and business strategy, and the resulting intellectual property. The NSF takes no equity in exchange for funding.

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For more information on the NSF's America's Seed Fund, go to: