Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

NSF Financial Assistance awards (grants and cooperative agreements) made on or after October 1, 2024, will be subject to the applicable set of award conditions, dated October 1, 2024, available on the NSF website. These terms and conditions are consistent with the revised guidance specified in the OMB Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance published in the Federal Register on April 22, 2024.

Important information for proposers

All proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements specified in this funding opportunity and in the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) that is in effect for the relevant due date to which the proposal is being submitted. It is the responsibility of the proposer to ensure that the proposal meets these requirements. Submitting a proposal prior to a specified deadline does not negate this requirement.

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

On July 10, 2025, NSF issued an Important Notice providing updates to the agency's research security policies, including a research security training requirement, Malign Foreign Talent Recruitment Program annual certification requirement, prohibition on Confucius institutes and an updated FFDR reporting and submission timeline.

Renewal

Supports renewal awards for active Long-term Ecological Research sites.

Synopsis

To address ecological questions that cannot be resolved with short-term observations or experiments, NSF established the Long-Term Ecological Research Program (LTER) in 1980. Two components differentiate LTER research from projects supported by other NSF programs: 1) the research is located at specific sites chosen to represent major ecosystem types or natural biomes, and 2) it emphasizes the study of ecological phenomena over long periods of time based on data collected in five core areas. Ongoing research at LTER sites is expected to contribute to the development and testing of fundamental ecological theories and significantly advance understanding of the long-term dynamics of populations, communities, and ecosystems. It often integrates multiple disciplines and, through cross-site interactions, may examine patterns or processes over broad spatial scales. Recognizing that the value of long-term data extends beyond use at any individual site, NSF requires that data collected by all LTER sites be made publicly accessible in compliance with NSF data requirements.

NSF currently supports 27 LTER sites and a network office. The program is on-going and proposals for new LTER sites are periodically invited when a need is identified to balance the LTER portfolio or when funding opportunities arise to support new LTERs. These opportunities are announced through separate solicitations. This solicitation governs submission of renewal proposals for active LTER site awards, not new sites.

Program contacts

Name	Email	Phone	Organization
William G. Ambrose	wambrose@nsf.gov	(703) 292-8048	OD/OD
Roberto Delgado	robdelga@nsf.gov	(703) 292-2397	OD/OD
Rebecca Gast	rgast@nsf.gov	(703) 292-2356	GEO/OPP
Kendra Mclauchlan	kmclauch@nsf.gov	(703) 292-2217	BIO/DEB
Francisco (Paco) B. Moore	fbmoore@nsf.gov	(703) 292-5376	BIO/DEB
Robyn Smyth	rsmyth@nsf.gov	(703) 292-2996	BIO/DEB
Cynthia L. Suchman	csuchman@nsf.gov	(703) 292-2092	GEO/OCE
Daniel Thornhill	dthornhi@nsf.gov	(703) 292-8143	GEO/OCE
Betsy von Holle	mvonholl@nsf.gov	(703) 292-4974	BIO/DEB
John E. Yellen	jyellen@nsf.gov	(703) 292-8759	SBE/BCS

Awards made through this program

Browse projects funded by this program

Map of recent awards made through this program

Program status: Archived

Program 24-520 was archived.

Program guidelines

Previous guidelines NSF 24-520

Published:

December 14, 2023

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

Status: Archived

Archived funding opportunity

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

Important information for proposers

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

Synopsis

Program contacts

Awards made through this program

Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER)

Status: Archived

Archived funding opportunity

NSF's implementation of the revised 2 CFR

Important information for proposers

Updates to NSF Research Security Policies

Synopsis

Program contacts

Additional program resources

Awards made through this program

Organization(s)