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U.S. National Science Foundation

Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes

Open

Key facts

Deadline
Due Mar 14, 2029 · 888 days left
Award size
$1.5M – $6.5M
Total available
$40M · about 8 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. 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 Shelby County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 68 — including your county

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

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About this grant

Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes are national resources that aim to advance research in the mathematical sciences through programs supporting discovery and dissemination of knowledge in mathematics and statistics and enhancing connections to related fields in which the mathematical sciences can play important roles. Institute activities help focus the attention of some of the best mathematical minds on problems of particular importance and timeliness. Institutes are also community resources that involve a broad segment of U.S.-based mathematical sciences researchers in their activities. The goals of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institutes program include advancing research in the mathematical sciences, increasing the impact of the mathematical sciences in other disciplines, and expanding the talent base engaged in mathematical research in the United States.

Who can apply, from the official notice

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -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. - Multi-institutional consortia are permitted, but a single entity must accept overall management responsibility.

Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct8
    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. Feb21
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Mar7
    Finish a complete draft for a final review
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Mar12
    Submit
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Mar14
    Deadline
    From the funder.

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

Writing the need statement? Shelby County facts with citations.

Who in Tennessee has won this program

26 awards to Tennessee groups in 4 counties since 2017 · 2 in Shelby County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
State of TennesseeNashville$12.2M spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$11.7M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville$4.5M spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$2.4M2021
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1.7M2022
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1.7M2023
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1.6M2021
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1.2M2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson County$1.1M2019
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox County$911K2019
Tennessee State UniversityNashville, Davidson County$800K2021
University of TennesseeChattanooga, Hamilton County$793K2025

Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse; USAspending.gov. 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. 42 pass-through grants on file · 3 in Shelby County. Largest shown:

Tennessee pass-through grant winners
Past winnerWhereThroughAmountFiscal year
Fisk UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University$956K2024
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyTexas a & M University$388K2023
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyBoard of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Ed$370K2026
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Inc.Memphis, Shelby CountyUniversity of California-Berkeley (UCB)$311K spent that year2025
Fisk UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyVanderbilt University$274K spent that year2025
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$265K2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleOregon State University$257K spent that year2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyWest Virginia University Research Corporation$244K2026
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyCornell University$235K2025
Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, Davidson CountyOregon State University$228K2024
University of TennesseeKnoxville, Knox CountyUniversity of Vermont & State Agricultural College$204K2025
University of MemphisMemphis, Shelby CountyUniversity of Arizona$168K2023

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

About the federal program

Mathematical and Physical Sciences, also called “(MPS)”
Program number 47.049 (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 8, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number 23-606 · program number 47.049