Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program | 25 507

Opportunity Information: Apply for 25 507

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences (HEGS) Program funds basic, theory-driven research that explains how spatial patterns and place-based processes shape human behavior and social dynamics, and how those human dimensions interact with environmental and social systems across multiple scales (from local neighborhoods to regions and global systems). The program is aimed at strengthening core geographical and geospatial science by supporting projects that do more than describe a spatial problem; proposals need to use that problem as a way to test, refine, or expand generalizable theory and/or advance rigorous geospatial methods. In practice, HEGS is looking for research that can produce broadly applicable insights about the nature, causes, consequences, or long-term evolution of spatial aspects of human activity, including how people, institutions, and societies respond to and influence environmental and social processes.

HEGS is open to a wide range of research traditions and welcomes quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches, including novel combinations of methods. At the same time, the program is explicit about what it will not support: projects whose primary goal is humanistic interpretation (in the sense of producing non-generalizable or non-reproducible conclusions), or projects that mainly apply mapping, GIS, remote sensing, spatial statistics, or other geospatial tools to a case study without making a clear theory-testing or theory-building contribution to geographical science. If a proposal does not clearly meet these expectations, NSF indicates it may be returned without review, meaning it would not move forward to peer evaluation.

Competitive proposals are expected to be methodologically tight and transparent. HEGS expects clear, detailed plans for data collection (including how samples will be chosen when relevant), strong justification for why the proposed methods fit the research questions, and well-developed plans for analysis. Proposals should show careful thinking about alternative explanations and confounding factors, and they should demonstrate specific steps to reduce bias (for example, selection bias, confirmatory bias, or other systematic errors that could distort results). Strong applications also explain why the findings should be considered valid and how they can generalize beyond the immediate study setting, which is central to NSF’s emphasis on fundamental, reproducible science.

Because HEGS sits within NSF’s Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences Division in the Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences Directorate, proposals must clearly engage human dimensions that matter to people and societies. In other words, even if a project uses advanced geospatial methods or focuses on environmental change, it still needs a clear connection to human behaviors, decisions, activities, or social dynamics, and it must explain why the questions are socially relevant from a scientific standpoint. HEGS-funded projects are also expected to produce broader impacts, meaning the work should not only advance fundamental theory and methods but also generate benefits for society (for example, through improved understanding of human-environment interactions, better analytical approaches, or knowledge that informs future research and capacity-building).

Eligibility to submit proposals includes several types of U.S.-based organizations: U.S. for-profit organizations (including small businesses) with strong research or educational capabilities; U.S. non-profit, non-academic organizations such as independent museums, observatories, research labs, and professional societies tied to research or education; state and local governments; U.S.-accredited institutions of higher education (two-year and four-year, including community colleges) submitting on behalf of faculty; and federally recognized Tribal Nations (American Indian or Alaska Native tribes, bands, nations, pueblos, villages, or communities recognized under applicable federal law). If an application involves funding that would flow to an international branch campus of a U.S. institution (including via subawards or consultants), the proposal must explain why work at that branch campus is beneficial and why it cannot be conducted at the U.S. campus.

From the opportunity listing details provided, the program is offered by NSF as a discretionary grant under CFDA 47.075, with the funding opportunity titled "Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program" and funding opportunity number 25 507. The original closing date shown is 2025-02-03. The listing notes an expected 25 awards, while the award ceiling is not specified in the provided text.

• The National Science Foundation in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 47.075.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-11-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-02-03. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 25 507

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