NSF Funding for Foreign Researchers

Institutions

NSF does not directly provide funding to foreign organizations. NSF does make awards to U.S. organizations that have subawards to foreign organizations. Any foreign entity should note that, per the Grant Policy Manual Section 633.2, NSF generally does not provide indirect costs to foreign organizations. A foreign organization could be a subawardee but could only recover direct costs.

Individual Researchers

In general, researchers employed at foreign institutions are not Primary Investigators on NSF grants. However, they may be part of NSF funded projects awarded to U.S. institutions as senior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, or subcontractors.For foreign researchers employed at U.S. institutions, the following is taken from the NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Frequently Asked Questions:

If an individual is not a U.S. citizen, can the individual apply for an NSF grant? Can a permanent resident serve as a Principal Investigator at a U.S. institution? Except for NSF fellowships, which by statute can be made only to citizens, nationals, or lawfully admitted permanent resident aliens of the United States, there generally are no nationality restrictions in any NSF program. A proposing institution in the US may designate as Principal Investigator anyone it believes to be capable of fulfilling the role.