Congress Settles NSF Budget at $8.75 Billion, Rejecting Proposed 57% Cut

Congress has settled the National Science Foundation's budget at $8.75 billion for fiscal year 2026—a 3.4% cut from FY2024, but a decisive rejection of the White House proposal that sought to slash the agency by 57%.

What the Numbers Mean

President Trump's budget request had proposed just $3.9 billion for NSF, a $5.2 billion reduction that would have rolled the agency's funding back more than 20 years. Congress rejected that proposal and signed appropriations into law on January 23, 2026.

The Research and Related Activities account—NSF's primary vehicle for grants to universities and research institutions—received $7.2 billion. The spending bills include a guardrail directing that "no directorate shall receive more than a 5 percent reduction relative to the fiscal year 2024 enacted level," offering protection to individual research areas including AI, quantum computing, and clean energy.

A Cut, but Not a Catastrophe

While the final number represents a reduction, the research community is treating it as a relative win. The Congressional Research Service analysis notes that the appropriation preserves the vast majority of NSF's capacity to issue new grants and maintain existing commitments.

Still, a 3.4% cut during rising costs means real purchasing power declines. Early-career researchers competing for grants through programs like the Graduate Research Fellowship and the Smart Health and Biomedical Research programs should expect heightened competition for fewer dollars.

What Grant Seekers Should Do

NSF's current funding opportunities remain active and accepting applications at nsf.gov/funding. Researchers should not self-select out of applying based on budget anxiety—the agency is funded and awarding grants. The 5% directorate cap also means emerging fields with strong bipartisan support, including artificial intelligence and quantum information science, are unlikely to see outsized reductions.

For ongoing tracking of federal research funding and application strategies, visit the Granted blog.