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U.S. National Science Foundation

SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Open

Key facts

Deadline
Due Nov 4, 2026 · 28 days left
Award size
$160K – $170K
Total available
$3M · about 20 awards
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

Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. The deadline is in 28 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist

How this fits you

  • Available in Blount County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 63

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

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About this grant

The Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) offers Postdoctoral Research Fellowships to encourageindependence earlyin the fellow'scareerby supporting his or herresearch and training goals.The research and training plan of each fellowship must address important scientific questions within thescope of the SBE directorate and the specific guidelines in this solicitation. The SPRF program offers two tracks: (I) Fundamental Research in the SBE Sciences (SPRF-FR) and (II) Broadening Participation in the SBE Sciences (SPRF-BP). See the full text of the solicitation for a detailed description of these tracks.

Who can apply, from the official notice

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: - Proposals must be submitted by the individual and not the host institution. NSF SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship proposals are submitted directly by the postdoctoral fellow to NSF and the award is made directly to the postdoctoral fellow. Awards are not made or transferred to the host institution under any circumstance. Each postdoctoral fellow must identify one sponsoring scientist and host institution (with whom the sponsoring scientist is affiliated) at the time of proposal submission. Fellowship proposers may propose to hold the fellowship at: • 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. • Nonprofit, non-academic organizations: Independent museums, observatories, research labs, professional societies and similar organizations in the U.S. associated with educational or research activities. *Who May Serve as PI: Fellowship candidates must meet all of the following eligibility requirements: • The proposer must be a U.S. citizen, national or legally admitted permanent resident alien of the United States as of the proposal deadline. • The proposer must have obtained a doctoral degree in the SBE scienceswithin the 3 years prior to the proposal deadline or will obtain a doctoral degree within 12 months after the proposal deadline but before the anticipated start date. • The proposer cannot already hold a full-time tenure-track faculty appointment. • The proposer cannot submit the same research to another NSFprogram. Proposals must be submitted by the individual and not the host institution. NSF SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowship proposals are submitted directly by the postdoctoral fellow to NSF and the award is made directly to the postdoctoral fellow. Awards are not made or transferred to the host institution under any circumstance. Each postdoctoral fellow must identify one sponsoring scientist and host institution (with whom the sponsoring scientist is affiliated) at the time of proposal submission. Fellowship candidates may propose to hold the fellowship at: • Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) - Two- and four-year IHEs (including community colleges) accredited in, and having a campus located in the US,...

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Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct7
    Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
    Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov
  2. Oct14
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Oct28
    Finish a complete draft for a final review
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Nov2
    Submit
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Nov4
    Deadline
    From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Blount County facts with citations.

Who in Tennessee has won this program

29 awards to Tennessee groups in 3 counties since 2019 · 0 in Blount County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2.8M2022
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2M2024
State of TennesseeNashville$1.9M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$1.9M spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$925K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$673K2021
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$627K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$557K2019
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$508K2021
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$475K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$450K2022
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby County$450K2021

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 a state agency or another organization

This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 34 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Blount County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyArizona State University$638K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyUniversity of Florida$396K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyRegents of the University of Michigan$274K2025
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyArizona State University$238K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyTrustees of Dartmouth College$155K2024
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyThe Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York$77K2025
State of TennesseeNashvilleArizona State University$71K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyIowa State University of Science and Technology$55K2023
East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, Washington CountyUniversity of Tennessee$50K2023
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyThe Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York$47K2024
State of TennesseeNashvilleUniversity of Texas at Dallas$44K spent that year2023
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyUniversity of North Carolina at Wilmington$44K2023

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

About the federal program

Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, also called “(SBE)”
Program number 47.075 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · National Science Foundation · Project grant

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

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Source: Federal grants from Grants.gov · the official federal record. Last checked by GrantMe Oct 7, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number 23-500 · program number 47.075