NSF Grant Application Guidance: Budget and Narrative

Budget

The NSF requires a detailed budget that justifies your project's costs. Here's how to prepare it:

Personnel Costs: Salaries for project staff, including principal investigators, co-investigators, and research assistants. Specify the time commitment (e.g., percentage of effort or hours worked).
Fringe Benefits: Include healthcare, retirement, and other employee benefits.
Equipment: Outline any major equipment necessary for your project, including costs and justifications.
Travel: Domestic or international travel needed for research, conferences, or fieldwork. Include airfare, lodging, meals, and other expenses.
Materials and Supplies: Include consumables like lab materials, software, or office supplies.
Indirect Costs: These are overhead costs like utilities, administration, and facility use (calculated based on your institution's negotiated rate).
Other Direct Costs: Subcontracts, consulting fees, and participant support costs (e.g., stipends, travel, workshops).

Follow NSF Budget Guidelines: Use the NSF budget templates (e.g., NSF Form 1030) in Research.gov or FastLane.
Be Transparent: Provide clear justifications for each expense in the Budget Justification (up to 5 pages).
Align Costs with Objectives: Ensure all costs directly support your project goals.
Collaborate with Your Institution: Work closely with your Sponsored Research Office (SRO) for accurate calculations.

The project narrative is the heart of your application. NSF narratives generally have a 15-page limit and must follow these required sections:

Introduction:
- Summarize your project’s goals and significance.
- Clearly state the research question or problem.
Background and Literature Review:
- Highlight previous work in the field.
- Demonstrate the gap your project fills.
Objectives and Research Plan:
- Describe your specific objectives and the methods to achieve them.
- Include timelines, milestones, and deliverables.
Broader Impacts:
- Explain how your project benefits society, e.g., by advancing STEM education, promoting diversity, or solving critical problems.
- Highlight outreach activities, like workshops, curriculum development, or community engagement.
Results from Prior NSF Support (if applicable):
- If you’ve received NSF funding before, include outcomes of that project.

Be Clear and Concise: Use active voice and avoid jargon to make your proposal accessible to reviewers from diverse backgrounds.
Address NSF Merit Review Criteria:
- Intellectual Merit: Explain the potential to advance knowledge.
- Broader Impacts: Describe societal benefits.
Use Visuals: Include charts, graphs, or tables to convey complex information effectively.
Review Submission Guidelines: Ensure formatting, margins, and font size comply with the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG).

Let me know if you need help drafting specific sections, examples, or templates for your NSF application!