Accountable Institutions and Behavior

The Accountable Institutions and Behavior (AIB) Program is administered by the National Science Foundation (NSF), a federal agency supporting fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. The AIB program specifically falls under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences (SBE) and is managed within the Division of Social and Economic Sciences (SBE/SES). The program encourages proposals that advance foundational scientific understanding related to public attitudes, governance, institutional behavior, and decision-making in both democratic and non-democratic settings. Its goal is to foster scholarly research that deepens insight into how political and administrative systems influence the delivery of public services and policy outcomes. This funding opportunity supports theoretically motivated, conceptually clear, and empirically rigorous research. It focuses on a range of topics including but not limited to preference formation, political expression, electoral processes, individual and group decision-making, public administration, and the behavior of elected or appointed institutions. The research may be confined to a single case or involve comparative analysis over time or across jurisdictions. While the AIB program funds foundational or basic research, it does not support applied research projects. Moreover, it invites proposals that integrate undergraduate student research experiences or contribute to infrastructural development, such as innovations in research methodology. Proposals submitted to the AIB program must comply with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) in effect at the time of submission. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their proposals adhere to all guidelines regardless of when they are submitted. Proposals may be submitted at any time under program solicitation PD 19-120Y through either Research.gov or Grants.gov, with each platform requiring adherence to its respective preparation guide. There are no specific application windows or deadlines, as the program accepts proposals on a rolling basis. The program contact points for prospective applicants are Jan E. Leighley and Lee D. Walker, both Program Directors in the SBE/SES division. They can be reached via email at jleighle@nsf.gov and lwalker@nsf.gov, or by phone at (703) 292-2496 and (703) 292-7174 respectively. These officials can provide further clarification regarding the program’s scope and requirements. Applicants are also encouraged to explore related NSF programs such as Law and Science (LS), Security and Preparedness (SAP), and Research Infrastructure in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (RISBS) for complementary funding opportunities. There are no specified funding ceilings, floors, or total available program funding stated in the source materials. Similarly, details on the expected number of awards and whether matching funds are required are not provided. This lack of financial detail necessitates verification from NSF program officers for applicants who require budgetary guidance before proposal development. The program's emphasis remains on the quality and scientific merit of the research rather than prescriptive financial limits. The AIB Program is open to a broad range of institutional applicants, including public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofits, and other eligible entities as commonly supported by NSF. While the official eligibility categories are not exhaustively detailed in the program synopsis, the general assumption, based on NSF norms and similar programs, is that typical NSF-eligible applicants—such as accredited academic institutions and research nonprofits—can apply. Verification is recommended to confirm eligibility for specific organizational types, especially those outside standard research-focused institutions.

Applicants are responsible for proposal compliance regardless of submission timing. NSF does not accept proposals via FastLane.