FY 2026 Continuation of Solicitation for the Office of Science Financial Assistance Program

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science Financial Assistance Program, as outlined in the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) DE-FOA-0003600 Amendment 000001, is a continuation of an annual open solicitation supporting fundamental scientific research across a broad range of disciplines. These include Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR), Basic Energy Sciences (BES), Biological and Environmental Research (BER), Fusion Energy Sciences (FES), High Energy Physics (HEP), Nuclear Physics (NP), and Isotope R&D and Production (IRP). This program is designed to support the advancement of knowledge critical to the Department of Energy’s mission in energy, environment, and national security, and to maintain U.S. leadership in scientific discovery and innovation. The Office of Science encourages proposals that align with its core mission areas and demonstrate the potential to significantly contribute to the advancement of science and technology. Each research area within the program has specific priorities and subtopics, detailed in the NOFO, and may include targeted review panels or deadlines for pre-applications. For example, the ASCR program includes topics such as applied mathematics, computer science, and computational partnerships that enhance high-performance computing for scientific discovery. BES supports foundational research in materials sciences, chemistry, and geosciences, including areas like quantum information science and catalysis. The BER program focuses on Earth and biological systems, while FES supports research toward fusion energy and plasma science. Applications may be submitted at any time until the final deadline of September 30, 2026. However, applicants should be aware that some topical areas will have scheduled review panels, and applications submitted after a panel’s acceptance date may be held until the next cycle. In such cases, submitting a pre-application is encouraged and sometimes required. Pre-applications for specific topics must be submitted by designated deadlines, and in some cases only those invited to submit full applications will be reviewed. Specific guidance on the formatting and content of pre-applications is available within each topical area. The NOFO is open to a wide range of eligible applicants, including nonprofit organizations, higher education institutions (both public and private), for-profit entities (with certain limitations), state and local governments, tribal organizations, and individuals with the requisite skills and resources. Notably, DOE/NNSA national laboratories may not apply as prime recipients but may participate as subrecipients through the DOE Field-Work Proposal System. Cost sharing is generally not required for basic and fundamental research grants under this NOFO unless the project qualifies as a technology investment agreement. Applications are submitted electronically through Grants.gov or the DOE’s Portfolio Analysis and Management System (PAMS). All applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and active registration in SAM.gov. Each application must include a project narrative, budget justification, and required supporting documents. Applications will be evaluated for responsiveness, technical merit, and alignment with DOE objectives. The review process includes both administrative checks and merit review by subject matter experts. Award instruments will typically be financial assistance awards such as grants or cooperative agreements. Approximately $500 million is expected to be available for awards under this NOFO. Historically, between 200 and 350 new awards are made annually, with individual award amounts ranging from $5,000 to $5 million and durations from six months to five years. Funding decisions are made on a rolling basis within each program area. Questions related to scientific or technical requirements must be directed to the specific program contacts listed in the NOFO, while administrative questions can be sent to [email protected]. This open solicitation is a central mechanism for advancing the mission of the Office of Science and supporting cutting-edge scientific research across the United States.

Submit early; check topic-specific deadlines; pre-application may be required for panel review.