NSF shifts to portfolio-based grants aligned with White House priorities

September 12, 2026 at 02:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The US National Science Foundation announced a shift to a portfolio-based grant approach aligned with White House priorities in a letter released on 10 September. The letter, signed by acting director Brian Stone, introduces four Frontier Initiatives but does not specify funding sources. Staff worry the changes will further squeeze core discovery-focused research.

Key Facts

The NSF letter, signed by acting director Brian Stone, was released on 10 September.
The new portfolio-based approach combines investigator-driven inquiry with NSF-directed opportunities.
Four Frontier Initiatives are named: Future of Intelligence, Frontier of Quantum Phenomena, Advanced Materials and Matter, and Foundations of Biological Design.
The letter does not specify how the new initiatives will be funded.
Staff members, speaking anonymously, fear further cuts to discovery-focused research.

The New Funding Approach

The NSF letter describes a shift to a portfolio-based approach that combines traditional investigator-driven inquiry with NSF-directed opportunities. The agency will specify objectives but never the method scientists must use to achieve them, according to the letter. Solicitations for grant proposals will be consolidated and simplified, with calls designed to advance a specific aspect of NSF's mission. The letter does not state what the NSF-directed opportunities will be or how they will be funded.

Frontier Initiatives

The portfolio-based approach centers on four Frontier Initiatives that will receive funding across the agency's directorates. The initiatives are the Future of Intelligence, Frontier of Quantum Phenomena, Advanced Materials and Matter, and Foundations of Biological Design. These initiatives will require cooperation across disciplines and directorates, the letter states.

Staff Concerns

NSF staff members who spoke anonymously out of fear of retaliation are concerned the changes will lead to further cuts for discovery-focused research. The announcement is the latest in a stream of changes at the NSF instigated by the Trump administration, which has prioritized research on artificial intelligence. An NSF spokesperson directed Nature to Stone's letter when asked for comment on criticisms of the changes.