Application Deadline: Rolling; funds are limited – grantseekers should apply as soon as possible
Funds Available: Grants will range from $25K to $250K, with most awards under $50K

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is dramatically reducing its vital support for scientific research. Principal Investigators who were conducting or facilitating economic research under a grant terminated by NSF can now apply for rescue funds to mitigate disruptions of work that promises to provide significant societal benefits.

About the Economic Research Rescue Fund

Taxpayer support for the National Science Foundation has, by any measure, paid off amazingly well for the American people. If you talk on a cell phone, hear a weather report, search the web, get an MRI, or use a Geographic Information System (GIS), the U.S. National Science Foundation helped make that possible.

Though the outcomes of investments in basic research cannot be predicted in advance, NSF has a remarkable record of selecting promising proposals to fund. Those decisions have always been made by professionals working with independence, integrity, and expertise. Recently, many projects funded through this rigorous process have been abruptly terminated. Private philanthropy can only replace a tiny fraction of the funds rescinded; however, small amounts prudently applied can help investigators continue or complete disrupted work.

Eligibility for Rescue Funding through this program is, for now, limited to projects in which the original NSF proposal contains the CV of at least one practicing PhD economist.

The Economic Research Rescue Fund is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

Eligibility

To be eligible for rescue funding, a research project must:

  • Have received an NSF funding award prior to 6/1/2025
  • Had that award officially terminated, cancelled, or suspended by the NSF
  • Be economics-related, as evidenced by the inclusion of the CV of at least one practicing PhD economist in the original NSF funding application

How to Apply

To apply, a Principal Investigator of the original NSF award must submit the following materials via the application portal:

  • Complete Original NSF Proposal (including an economist’s CV)
  • Communication with NSF about the shaping, funding, and defunding of this proposal
  • Peer Reviews, scores, and other correspondence from NSF about the proposal
  • Financial and Progress reports submitted to NSF
  • One-page Proposal Cover Sheet using the template downloadable here to describe the requested rescue grant
  • One-page Rescue Budget Request using the Sample Budget Template downloadable here. The template may be accompanied by a page of budget explanations or justifications concerning the proposed budget.

Note: Rescue grant requests for less than $50,000 are not eligible for indirect cost recovery. Most grants are anticipated to be in that range. Larger requests can budget up to 20% for that purpose. 

  • One-page Proposal Administration Form listing administrative contacts, template downloadable here.
  • Narrative Letter of no more than five pages, addressed to the Public Review Panel, about the importance of the project. The narrative letter should be readable and readily appreciated by members of the public and should include:
    • The title of the project and a project summary of less than 250 words
    • The amount of money being requested and a brief account of how that money will be used
    • A description of the social value of the work that is being disrupted, including why this project is important for the nation and, if applicable, the world

Note: The Public Review Panel will rank submissions based on these letters alone and not based on the original NSF proposal that already passed peer review.

The materials specified above should be submitted to the SSRC via the online application portal. Because funds are limited, interested grantseekers should apply as soon as is practicable.

Selection Process

To evaluate submissions, SSRC will convene a Public Review Panel (The Panel), made up of people who can plausibly represent—without bias or other agenda—the interests of the public. Members will be announced publicly following their recruitment, and are expected to include a politically balanced slate of consumers of economic information, including former state and local officials, high school teachers, journalists, and business leaders.

The Panel will review the narrative letters submitted as part of the full submission packet and make funding recommendations based on the perceived value of the research and the impact of the rescue funds. 

NSF materials submitted to this competition will not be released to the public but may be studied for program evaluation purposes. Narrative letters submitted to this competition may be made publicly available.

Submissions will be considered on a rolling basis as funds permit.

How to Contribute

Initial funding for this Research Rescue Effort comes from charitable philanthropies including the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. We welcome contributions to the Fund, either to expand support for economics research or to expand the program so it covers more fields. If you are interested in participating, please reach out to the SSRC at rescuefund@ssrc.org.

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