The US National Science Foundation (NSF) is on track to issue the lowest number of new research grants in four decades, according to an exclusive report published by Nature on August 20. The agency is withholding approximately $1 billion of its available funding, while the average new award size has dropped roughly $100,000 compared to the previous five-year average.
The Numbers
Grant Witness, a research tracking organization, found that last year the NSF made about 8,650 awards — the lowest since 1985. The trend has worsened in 2026: data shows the NSF has awarded just 613 grants this fiscal year, roughly 20% of the historical rate for this point in the year.
The decline is not primarily a budget issue. Congress largely protected the NSF's FY2026 budget, yet the agency is funding fewer, smaller grants. The average new award increased 15% in size in FY2025 while the number of new awards dropped 20%, suggesting a deliberate shift toward fewer, larger grants at the expense of overall grant volume.
Who Gets Hurt
The impact falls disproportionately on early-career researchers, graduate students, and researchers at less-resourced institutions. Fewer grants mean fewer opportunities for the next generation of scientists to establish independent research programs. The cuts span disciplines: math, physics, and chemistry funding dropped by $289 million; STEM education by $223 million; biology by $156 million; and engineering by $127 million.
Political Context
The NSF grant slowdown occurs against a backdrop of broader political pressure on science funding. The Trump administration has proposed deep cuts to the agency in its budget proposals, and the NSF board was recently dismissed. The agency's grant success rate — already competitive before these changes — has now fallen to levels that threaten the viability of academic research careers.
