NSF Funds Fewer Than 100 New Social-Science Grants

The National Science Foundation's social-science output fell sharply in fiscal year 2026 as the White House proposed eliminating its directorate for those fields.

Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Social Sciences

NSF Funds Fewer Than 100 New Social-Science Grants

Live Poll

Should the federal government keep funding social science research like surveys and economics?

The National Science Foundation funded fewer than 100 new social-science grants in fiscal year 2026, which ended September 30, 2026, compared with a historical average of roughly 850 per year. The decline follows a White House proposal to eliminate the NSF's Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences directorate.

Why it matters

The SBE directorate provided 63% of funding for academic social and psychological sciences in the United States, so its potential dissolution creates uncertainty across entire disciplines. Congress has not yet weighed in on the directorate's fate.

The SBE now has fewer than a dozen staff members, down from around 50 at the start of the current administration, and has no active calls for funding or review panels. Each of the big three SBE-funded surveys requires several million dollars per year, and the NSF has not said how those long-running efforts would be sustained if funding ends.

The players

National Science Foundation (NSF)

The federal agency that funds basic research across U.S. science and engineering, including the social sciences through its SBE directorate.

Mark Solovey

A historian at the University of Toronto who warned that without intervention, NSF-funded long-running projects will wither away.

Michael Woodford

A Nobel-winning economist at Columbia University whose NSF-supported work is among the research affected by the funding decline.

The details

The NSF has allowed the SBE to award new grants only in White House-approved areas such as artificial intelligence and cognitive science. The White House characterized the SBE's portfolio as "woke" in an April budget proposal, and the NSF's FY2027 budget request does not include continued funding for the directorate.

April 2026: The White House budget proposal said it would eliminate the SBE directorate.
2021-2024: SBE averaged $247 million per year in new grant spending.
September 30, 2026: Fiscal year 2026 ended with fewer than 100 new social-science grants funded.
October 2026: NSF reported that the number of Nobel-winning economists it has supported reached 75.

Shift in Federal Science Priorities

The FY2027 budget request, which omits continued funding for the SBE directorate, marks a departure from the NSF's long-standing role as the principal federal funder of academic social science. It shows the proposal translating into measurable grant losses before Congress has acted on it.

Researchers in psychology, economics, and political science may see fewer grant opportunities, which could affect the surveys and studies that inform public policy. Readers who rely on social-science findings may feel the effects through slower research on health, education, and economic conditions.

The takeaway

The NSF's sharp drop in social-science grants shows how a budget proposal can reshape research before lawmakers decide its fate, so readers should follow congressional action on the FY2027 request.