Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program

The Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program (HEGS) is a funding initiative administered by the Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences within the Division of Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences at the National Science Foundation (NSF). The program is designed to advance fundamental scientific research into the spatial dimensions of human behavior and activities, and their interactions with environmental and social processes. It prioritizes the support of empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, and methodologically rigorous research projects that contribute to geographical and geospatial sciences. NSF, established by the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, is a key federal agency that funds basic research and education across various science and engineering disciplines, supporting approximately one-quarter of federal basic research at academic institutions. The HEGS program seeks proposals that advance geographical science by focusing on theory-testing or theory-expanding questions and that demonstrate broader societal benefits. The research supported must produce generalizable and reproducible findings, disqualifying proposals that are primarily humanistic or lack theoretical contribution. Projects are expected to have clear methodologies, data collection plans, analysis strategies, and strategies for addressing bias and confounding variables. Eligible proposals can incorporate quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods, provided they are well justified and novel in their approach. HEGS supports various proposal types, including Senior Research Proposals, CAREER awards for early-career faculty, Research Coordination Networks (RCN), conference proposals, and the Transdisciplinary REsearch in Environmental Social Science (TREES) track. TREES proposals must integrate social and environmental sciences, with an emphasis on advancing social and behavioral science theory. These may span up to four years and are typically budgeted between $200,000 to $250,000 annually. HEGS also considers requests for supplemental funding to expand broader impacts or complete existing projects. For proposals under $100,000, expedited internal reviews may be possible. This program is open to a wide range of applicants including institutions of higher education (both two- and four-year colleges), non-profit organizations, for-profit U.S. companies, state and local governments, and federally recognized tribal nations. There are no limits on the number of proposals an institution or individual may submit. Proposals must be submitted through Research.gov or Grants.gov, in accordance with the NSF Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) in effect at the time of submission. Letters of Intent and preliminary proposals are not required. Applications are evaluated using NSF’s two merit review criteria: Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts. Reviewers assess proposals for their potential to advance knowledge and contribute to desired societal outcomes. Evaluation includes attention to research creativity, execution plans, qualifications of the research team, and availability of resources. Standard NSF reporting and award conditions apply to funded projects, and all recipients must comply with relevant administrative requirements, including the Build America, Buy America Act for infrastructure projects. Proposal deadlines are scheduled twice annually: February 3 and August 1, with recurring due dates on the third Friday in January and the first Friday in August thereafter. The next due date after August 1, 2025, is January 16, 2026. The point of contact for the program includes Program Directors Tom Evans (tevans@nsf.gov), Jeremy Koster (jkoster@nsf.gov), and May Yuan (mayuan@nsf.gov), as well as Business Operations Specialist Cori Jacildone (cjacildo@nsf.gov). The program encourages potential applicants to email a concept outline to HEGS-info@nsf.gov for feedback on fit and project design prior to submission.

Submit a concept outline for early feedback. Suggest reviewers in the application. Budget must match project scope.