NSF Seeks Comments on Its Research Funding Paperwork
Published Date: 10/28/2026
Notice
Summary
The National Science Foundation (NSF) is asking for public feedback on renewing its rules for collecting info about research proposals and awards. This affects researchers and organizations applying for NSF funding, with no new fees but a chance to improve how info is gathered. You’ve got 30 days from October 28, 2026, to share your thoughts before the Office of Management and Budget gives the final thumbs-up.
Analyzed Economic Effects
4 provisions identified: 3 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Large time burden for proposal submissions
If you prepare proposals to NSF, each proposal is estimated to require between 120 and 360 hours to complete. NSF expects about 43,000 proposals per year, totaling an estimated 5.16 to 15.48 million public burden hours annually.
PAPPG renamed and revised to GFA
NSF will rename the Proposal & Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) to the "NSF Guidance on Financial Assistance (GFA)" and is revising it to use plain language, separate policies from procedures, remove policies no longer relevant, and incorporate mandated statutory, regulatory, executive order, and policy-related changes.
30-day public comment window opened
NSF opened a 30-day public comment period starting with this Federal Register notice (publication date October 28, 2026) and requests comments at www.reginfo.gov. NSF previously received 3,277 responses to an earlier review and publicly posted 3,075 of those comments.
Scale of NSF funding activity described
NSF states it receives more than 43,000 proposals annually, makes approximately 8,300 financial assistance awards, and awards go to about 3,000 institutions including institutions of higher education, non-profits, tribal nations, for-profit organizations, and state and local governments.
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Key Dates
Department and Agencies
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