Resumption of Operations at NSF

What if a proposal was submitted during the shutdown?

Proposals submitted during the shutdown remain valid and will be processed in order of receipt. No resubmission is required unless a technical issue occurred.

I submitted a proposal to a deadline that occurred during the appropriations lapse. I had hoped to speak to a program officer prior to submission but was unable to do so. Will I now have an opportunity to engage with a program officer and resubmit?

Now that operations have resumed, you may reach out to the cognizant program officer or point of contact email for discussion or clarification. Changes to proposals requested after the submission deadline require approval from the designated program officer. NSF cannot reopen a closed deadline or allow resubmission unless the relevant program issues a revised solicitation or deadline notice.

I know it usually takes NSF about six months to render decisions on proposals. How long will it take NSF to process my proposal as a result of the appropriations lapse?

NSF will make every effort to minimize delays where possible.

Will the shutdown affect funding decisions or award notifications?

Yes. Some delays are expected in processing new awards and funding actions. Priority is being given to awards supporting time-sensitive research, student or trainee funding, and projects with critical field or seasonal components.

Can I apply to a solicitation posted just before the shutdown, and will the solicitation deadlines be extended?

Solicitations open during the shutdown remain active, and some programs may reissue active solicitations to extend proposal submission deadlines. We encourage you to monitor the NSF funding opportunity page and NSF program sites.

The solicitation to which I had hoped to submit was archived before the fiscal year started. When can I expect a new funding opportunity to be published?

Programs are actively updating and re-clearing solicitations that were due for renewal. New solicitations will appear on NSF.gov and Grants.gov.

I was asked to serve on a panel that has been postponed. When will I know if or when that panel will be held?

Not all panels that were postponed due to the shutdown will be rescheduled. NSF is carefully reviewing these panels and will determine whether to reschedule panels, establish new review panels, or use ad hoc reviews.

New and rescheduled panels are expected to begin 3–4 weeks after reopening from Thursday, November 13, 2025. Program officers are working to reschedule panels and will contact panelists directly once new dates are confirmed. Revised panel schedules will also be posted to the NSF Proposal Review Panels page.

I was asked to review proposals but could not access them.

Access to the Proposal Evaluation System has been restored. Program officers will provide panelists their review assignments and new deadlines.

Are payments and reimbursements resuming?

The Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) continued to be operational during the lapse in appropriations. Institutions may continue to draw down funds for allowable costs.

How should grantees handle expenditures incurred during the shutdown?

Expenditures that were incurred and allowable under the award terms and conditions remain reimbursable.

How will travel, conferences and workshops be affected?

Official travel that was canceled may be rescheduled. Most canceled travel will not be rescheduled for several weeks after funding is restored. Recipients organizing NSF-funded workshops should contact their program officer for guidance.

I am a principal investigator (PI) on an upcoming NSF-funded PI meeting or workshop. Should I proceed as scheduled, or postpone? Will NSF staff be able to attend?

Unless advised otherwise by your program officer, you may proceed if the event is within the approved award scope. You may adjust dates or format (e.g., to virtual) with prior approval if there is a significant change in objectives or budget use. NSF staff attendance will depend on travel approvals and workload once operations stabilize.

I am a PI on an active award and am due for a site visit. When should I expect to hear about whether the site visit will proceed?

Site visits are being rescheduled based on risk and program priorities. Your cognizant program officer will contact you to confirm or propose alternate dates.

I am a PI on an active award and submitted an annual or final project report. When should I expect to hear back on the status of that report?

Reports submitted through Research.gov are being processed in the order received. Program officers are working through backlogs and prioritizing overdue reports.

How will NSF prioritize award actions in the backlog?

NSF will process actions based on urgency and programmatic impact, prioritizing renewals, student-supporting awards, and those with near-term start dates.

What if my award period expired during the shutdown?

Work with your sponsored research office to submit a request for a no-cost extension via Research.gov. If your request is late due to the lapse in appropriations, please provide that information in the "Explanation for Late Request" section of the request. 

Please note, the "Grantee Approved No-Cost Extension" option will not be available if the request is late; instead, you will be required to submit an "NSF Approved No-Cost Extension."

Extensions will be considered on a case-by-case basis.