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U.S. National Science Foundation

Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI)

Open

In short: U.S. National Science Foundation gives grants of $50,000 to $750,000.

Deadline
No deadline listed: see the official notice
The funder says: “Funding Opportunity is Archived, Proposals are not accepted”
Award size
$50K – $750K
Total available
$9.6M
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
Where
Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee

What changed

  • Status changed from closed to open (seen Oct 15, 2026)
Read the official notice Should we apply? Sign in to save

Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist

How this fits you

  • Available in Tennessee (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 428

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

About this grant

Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI) is an NSF program seeking to stimulate human-centered, use-inspired, fundamental and potentially transformative research aimed at strengthening America’s infrastructure. Effective infrastructure provides a strong foundation for socioeconomic vitality and broad improvement in quality of life. Robust, reliable and effective infrastructure spurs private-sector innovation, grows the economy, creates jobs, makes public-sector service provision more efficient, strengthens communities, promotes equal opportunity, protects the natural environment, enhances national security and fuels American leadership. Achieving these objectives requires the integration of expertise from across all science and engineering disciplines. SAI focuses on how fundamental knowledge about human reasoning and decision-making, governance, and social and cultural processes enables the building and maintenance of effective infrastructure that improves lives and society and builds on advances in technology and engineering. Successful projects will represent a convergence of expertise in one or more social, behavioral or economic sciences, deeply integrated with other disciplines to support substantial and potentially pathbreaking fundamental research applied to strengthening a specific focal infrastructure. General inquiries regarding this funding opportunity should be sent to NSF-SAI@nsf.gov.

Who can apply, from the official notice

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -For-profit organizations: U.S.-based commercial organizations, including small businesses, with strong capabilities in scientific or engineering research or education and a passion for innovation. -Non-profit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research laboratories, professional societies and similar organizations located in the U.S. that are directly associated with educational or research activities. -Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs): Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US, acting on behalf of their faculty members. Special Instructions for International Branch Campuses of US IHEs: If the proposal includes funding to be provided to an international branch campus of a US institution of higher education (including through use of sub-awards and consultant arrangements), the proposer must explain the benefit(s) to the project of performance at the international branch campus, and justify why the project activities cannot be performed at the US campus. -Tribal Nations: An American Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, or community that the Secretary of the Interior acknowledges as a federally recognized tribe pursuant to the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List Act of 1994, 25 U.S.C. §§ 5130-5131. *Who May Serve as PI: PIs must hold appointments at U.S.-based campuses/offices of eligible organizations (IHEs, Non-profit, non-academic organizations, For-profit organizations, Tribal Nations). There are no restrictions on who may serve as co-PIs, Senior/Key Personnel, or Consultant.

Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/f31e0ada-cf8d-4ead-8f16-eca3705782b9 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/08d17c4a-fd45-431b-91b4-d32a99c4d887

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Who in Tennessee has won this program

172 awards to Tennessee groups in 11 counties since 2016. Largest shown:

Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$13.3M2019
State of TennesseeNashville$13.2M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$12.2M spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$11.7M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$9.3M2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$8.8M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$7.3M spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashville$6.7M spent that year2025
Fisk UniversityNashville, Davidson County$5M2021
Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, Putnam County$4.7M2021
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$4.5M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$4M2025

Source: USAspending.gov; Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Education

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Education passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 256 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:

Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyGeorgia Tech Research Corp$1.2M2023
Fisk UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University$956K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleNorth Carolina State University$922K spent that year2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleThe Ohio State University$849K spent that year2025
Meharry Medical CollegeNashville, Davidson CountyVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University$767K2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyArizona State University$638K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Missouri System$586K2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVirginia Polytechnic Institute & State University$534K2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of Texas at San Antonio, the$490K2024
The University of TennesseePulaski, Giles CountyUniversity of North Alabama$433K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Florida$396K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyTexas a & M University$388K2023

Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).

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