Developmental Sciences

The Developmental Sciences (DS) program, managed by the National Science Foundation (NSF), operates under the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, specifically within the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences. This federal funding opportunity supports fundamental research that deepens our understanding of developmental processes affecting human behavior across the lifespan. The program encourages studies across multiple domains, including perceptual, cognitive, social, emotional, language, and motor development, and welcomes work that incorporates a diverse range of populations such as infants, children, adolescents, adults, aging individuals, and non-human animals. Its ultimate goal is to illuminate mechanisms supporting healthy behavioral and cognitive development to improve societal outcomes. Funding is available for basic research projects that employ multidisciplinary, multi-method, or longitudinal approaches, as well as for those proposing innovative theories, models, or methods to examine developmental phenomena. Proposals should explore influences such as family, school, community, culture, media, genetics, and epigenetics on development. Projects may involve integration across behavioral, social, and neural levels of analysis, as well as time scales. However, the program does not support clinical trials or research primarily focused on health-related outcomes. Funding is also available for workshops and small conferences, REU supplements, and several other special project mechanisms, each with their own guidelines. Budgets for standard DS research awards typically range from $100,000 to $200,000 per year over a three-year period, with total budgets usually between $200,000 and $600,000. Proposals with budgets that significantly exceed these norms may be returned without review. Conference proposals are generally limited to $35,000 and must be invited by a Program Director before submission. The total program funding is anticipated to be approximately $6.5 million, supporting an estimated 12 awards. Award types may include standard or continuing grants, and all funding is subject to NSF’s review processes and availability of appropriations. Eligibility is broad and includes two- and four-year accredited institutions of higher education in the U.S., non-profit and for-profit U.S.-based organizations with research capacities, tribal governments, state and local government entities, and other U.S. entities associated with education or research. Foreign organizations may collaborate, but only the U.S. portion of the work is eligible for funding. Individuals serving as PIs or co-PIs must possess a Ph.D. or equivalent expertise. Proposal preparation and submission must follow the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), and submissions can be made via Research.gov or Grants.gov. For this program cycle, full proposal deadlines are July 30, 2024, January 30, 2025, July 30, 2025, and recurring annually on January 30 and July 30 thereafter. No letters of intent or preliminary proposals are required. While the submission window is open, proposals must be submitted by 5:00 PM local time of the submitting organization. Application evaluations will be based on NSF’s standard merit review criteria, which emphasize intellectual merit and broader societal impacts. Award notifications are expected within approximately six months of the submission deadline. Interested applicants may seek early engagement by submitting a one-page concept summary to the program directors for feedback on the proposal's fit. Questions may be directed to Anna V. Fisher ([email protected], 703-292-8451), Joseph C. Toscano ([email protected], 703-292-7220), or Katia McCuen ([email protected], 703-292-2058). Comprehensive proposal preparation guidance and contact information can be accessed on the NSF website. The program also invites interested individuals with a Ph.D. in developmental sciences to volunteer as peer reviewers.

Submit 1-page summary to program directors to assess fit; proposals exceeding typical budget range may be returned without review; demonstrate alignment of sampling and methods with scope of inference.