NSF
Conference
NSF Conference Grants: Funding for Scientific Meetings and Workshops
Support for organizing a single conference, symposium, or workshop
Last verified: August 2026
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Key Facts
Mechanism Type
Support for a single scientific/engineering conference, symposium, or workshop
Project Description
No standard page limit, but must address all 8 required topics (PAPPG 24-1, Ch. II.F.8)
Results from Prior NSF Support
Up to 5 pages, if applicable
Recommended Submission Timing
Approximately 12 months before the event
Required Uploads
None beyond standard proposal documents -- no Program Officer concurrence email required (unlike RAPID/EAGER)
Budget Focus
Participant Support Costs (stipends, per diem, travel, registration); venue, catering, entertainment, and alcohol are generally unallowable
Compliance Requirement
A conference code of conduct addressing harassment and assault is required and must be disseminated to attendees
An NSF Conference proposal requests funding to organize and hold a single scientific or engineering conference, symposium, or workshop -- it is not a request to fund a multi-year research project. The Project Description does not follow the standard research-proposal format; instead it must walk through the logistics and rationale for the meeting itself, from why the field needs it to how attendees will be recruited, supported, and kept safe. Because the proposal describes an event rather than a research program, there is no preliminary data, no specific aims, and no multi-year timeline to justify -- the case to make is that the meeting is needed, well-organized, and broadly accessible.
The 8 Required Description Topics
PAPPG 24-1, Chapter II.F.8 specifies the topics a Conference Project Description must cover. Reviewers and program officers check for all eight, so proposals that omit one are commonly sent back for revision.
- Need for the meeting — why the topics matter now and what gap the conference fills
- Recent related meetings — dates and locations of comparable recent conferences, and how this one differs
- Organizing committee — names and affiliations of the people running the event
- Location, dates, and announcement/invitation plan — where and when the conference will be held and how attendees will be recruited
- How the conference will be organized and run — format, dissemination plan, and contribution to science and engineering education
- Recruitment and support plan — including broadening participation among attendees
- Child and dependent care resources — information on care resources available to attendees
- Results from Prior NSF Support — up to 5 pages, if the organizers have prior related NSF awards
Budget Rules: Participant Support Costs
Conference budgets are built primarily around Participant Support Costs, a restricted budget category with its own allowability rules.
- Allowable — stipends, per diem, travel, and registration for participants
- Coffee breaks and meals — only allowable if integral to the conference program
- Unallowable — venue rental and catering charged as Participant Support Costs, plus entertainment and alcohol in any category
- Code of conduct required — a conference policy addressing harassment and assault must be in place and disseminated to all attendees
When to Submit
Conference proposals should be submitted approximately 12 months before the event date. This lead time accounts for NSF's review and award process plus the time organizers need to open registration, finalize the venue, and issue the call for abstracts once funding is confirmed.
Conference vs. RAPID vs. EAGER
Conference proposals differ from RAPID and EAGER in what they fund and how they are processed. RAPID and EAGER both fund research activity (time-sensitive research and high-risk exploratory research, respectively), both cap the Project Description length, and both require a Program Officer concurrence email as a required upload before submission. A Conference proposal funds an event rather than a research program, has no special page limit on the Project Description (it is governed instead by the 8 required topics), and this app's proposal-type rules list no required Program Officer concurrence upload for Conference, unlike RAPID and EAGER. If your goal is to fund research rather than a meeting, RAPID or EAGER -- or a standard research proposal -- is the appropriate mechanism instead.
NSF Conference grant
conference proposal
workshop funding
symposium grant
participant support costs
NSF funding
PAPPG
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Unlike RAPID and EAGER, which both require an uploaded Program Officer concurrence email before submission, this app's proposal-type rules list no required uploads specific to the Conference type.
PAPPG does not set a special page limit for Conference proposals. Instead, the description must cover all 8 required topics: need for the meeting, recent related meetings, organizing committee, location/dates/announcement plan, how the conference is organized and disseminated, recruitment and broadening participation plan, child/dependent care resources, and (if applicable) up to 5 pages of Results from Prior NSF Support.
Participant Support Costs cover stipends, per diem, travel, and registration for attendees. Coffee breaks or meals are allowable only if integral to the program. Venue rental, catering outside that exception, entertainment, and alcohol are unallowable.
Submit approximately 12 months before the event. This gives NSF time to review and award the proposal and leaves organizers enough lead time to open registration and finalize logistics once funding is confirmed.
A conference policy or code of conduct addressing harassment and assault is required. It must be disseminated to all attendees, typically through conference announcements and registration materials.