Inside (the Beltway) Scoop

By: Ellen Kuo
Thursday, April 24, 2025
National Science Foundation Prepares to Celebrate Its 75th Anniversary 

May 10 marks the 75th anniversary of the National Science Foundation (NSF). Under the leadership of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, NSF was established as a consequence of the need for the federal government to play a larger role in supporting research at U.S. colleges and universities rather than relying on companies and foundations. He understood that in World War II, the country’s success was due in part to the advancements of the scientific enterprise, and he wanted to see these continue after the war had ended under a national policy for science where basic research would continue to flourish. During President Harry S. Truman’s administration, P.L. 81-507 established the NSF and its accompanying board in 1950.

Under the leadership of the 15 prior directors and the current leader, Sethuraman Panchanathan, PhD, NSF has expanded by creating new awards and directorates and supporting teachers at all grade levels through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) learning initiatives. More recently, NSF’s efforts in strengthening the STEM workforce and its support of more than a quarter of all graduate students in cutting-edge areas of research, such as Artificial Intelligence and quantum computing, have lagged behind congressionally authorized levels in the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act signed into law that set out a five-year roadmap of funding growth for NSF with at target level of $17.8 billion in FY 2026. Additionally, authorized levels under the law were FY 2023 ($11.8 billion), FY 2024 ($15.6 billion), FY 2025 ($16.7 billion), and FY 2027 ($18.9 billion). NSF’s enacted funding is $9.06 billion for FY 2025. 

Current efforts to draw attention to NSF are underway, including asking members of Congress to sign the bipartisan House Dear Colleague letter led by Representatives Joe Neguse and Brian Fitzpatrick. The letter says that NSF promotes the progress of science and secures our national defense by allocating nearly 95 percent of its budget every year to provide grants and to support research projects, facilities, and STEM education, funding research in about 2,000 academic and other institutions across the 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF also has a direct role in implementing the bipartisan CHIPS and Science Act, which expands NSF’s mission towards transforming innovative ecosystems. By equipping NSF with robust funding, Congress will allow it to achieve the vision of leading the world in science and engineering research and innovation.

Additionally, there will be a May 13 evening reception to celebrate NSF’s 75th anniversary at 2168 Rayburn House Office Building under the leadership of the Coalition for National Science Founding (CNSF). You can RSVP here. During the day, CNSF members will be visiting Capitol Hill offices with NSF funded researchers to educate them about how NSF funding has impacted research, especially at a time when there are efforts to undermine scientific research. For example, there was a previously floated proposal to decrease its budget by 50 percent to “force a reprioritization of the core mission of NSF and eliminate the leftward march of the agency and its funding choices,” according to the Center for Renewing America, which was under the leadership of the current Office of Management and Budget director Russ Vought. FASEB continues its efforts to support NSF at its authorized level as we await President Trump’s budget release for FY 2026.