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Simpler Grants

No. 23-602 · U.S. National Science Foundation

Open

Facility and Instrumentation Request Process

Dealbreakers No cost share required Audit: not stated Reimbursement-only: not stated
Award range
Not specified
Expected awards
~15
Application deadline
No deadline listed
Posted
Jul 6, 2023
Last verified
2 days ago

At a glance

AI summary

This program funds proposals to use NSF-supported atmospheric research facilities and instruments for education, single-facility research, and field campaigns. Track 1 is for education and outreach and has a total project cap of $75,000, with no more than $50,000 for facility use, while Tracks 2 and 3 have no stated budget cap. Institutions without significant observational capabilities are especially encouraged to apply, and unaffiliated individuals are not eligible. The solicitation estimates 5 to 15 awards and $10 million to $20 million in total funding. Awards are Standard Grants or Continuing Grants, and there are no stated restrictions by geography except that some Track 2 projects may be small international campaigns if approved.

AI-generated summary — verify against the announcement

What it funds

  • Science and Technology and other Research and Development
  • Infrastructure, Construction & Shared Facilities
  • Planning & Coordination
  • Researchers & Scholars
  • Engineering, Physical & Mathematical Sciences
  • Research Infrastructure, Instrumentation & Data
Official description from grants.gov

The Facility and Instrumentation Request Process (FIRP) solicitation describes the mechanism by which the research community can propose projects that require access to instrumentation and facilities sponsored by the Facilities for Atmospheric Research and Education (FARE) Program in the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS). FARE provides funding to a variety of organizations to make specialized instrumentation and facilities available to the atmospheric science research community through the Lower Atmosphere Observing Facilities (LAOF) and the Community Instruments and Facilities (CIF) programs. FIRP allows for parallel evaluation of intellectual merit and broader impacts along with the feasibility of the proposed project. All proposals to AGS that require the use of FARE-sponsored assets must be submitted through this solicitation. The FIRP solicitation offers three proposal submission tracks based on the type and purpose of the request: Track 1 - Education and Outreach. Track 2 - Single Facility Request. Track 3 - Field Campaigns. Preference for funding will be given to proposals submitted to programs in the Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS) in the Geosciences Directorate (GEO). If you are planning to submit a proposal to a program outside AGS, including NSF-wide or Directorate-wide solicitations, please contact the FARE program director, Shree Mishra at fare@nsf.gov to discuss the timelines, review process, and budget request for the use of FARE assets.

Who can apply

  • Unrestricted
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide

Program history

USASpending.gov

Assistance listing 47.050 · Geosciences

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (47.050), not just this notice.

Fiscal year Awards Median award Middle half
FY 2026 (so far) 286 $384,889 $140,548 – $582,302
FY 2025 920 $382,104 $189,831 – $608,490
FY 2024 1,251
FY 2023 1,285
FY 2022 1,314
FY 2021 1,504

Dollar figures are based on the 1,000 most recent awards we store, not all 6,560 — award counts are complete.

Who wins it Higher education (5,801), Business (430), Individuals (137) of 6,560 awards — categories can overlap.
Top states CA (124) · MA (88) · NY (70) · TX (62) · CO (36)
Largest recent awards
  1. EARTHSCOPE CONSORTIUM INC. $55,190,331 · FY 2025
  2. TEXAS A & M RESEARCH FOUNDATION $17,635,793 · FY 2025
  3. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN $6,000,000 · FY 2025
  4. THE TRUSTEES OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK $5,406,902 · FY 2025
  5. PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE $4,893,936 · FY 2025

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 5, 2026

Change history

Since we first indexed it
  1. Jul 25, 2026 Grant announcement document replaced