Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics (MMS)
NSF’s MMS Program funds interdisciplinary social, behavioral, and economic sciences research on innovative methodology, measurement, and statistics, plus related conferences, community-building, dissertation support, REU supplements, and CAREER awards.
⚑ DDRI proposals require a PI who is the doctoral student’s advisor or another faculty member at the U.S. institution and a co-PI who is the doctoral student. · Supports multiple mechanisms: regular research, conferences/community-development activities, DDRI, REU supplements, and CAREER awards. · Program is in NSF SBE and is explicitly interdisciplinary, with utility across multiple social/behavioral/economic fields.
This is a methods-first NSF SBE program, so it is adjacent to the team’s work but not their core line; the best fit is Deven Carlson if the proposal is on causal/quasi-experimental methods for education or related social-policy questions. For most of the roster, this would be a fit only as methodology support rather than a PI-level home program.
JUDGED AGAINST THE ROSTER'S PUBLICATION DOSSIER · GPT-5.4-MINI · 2026-07-07
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 80 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 65 good | outside portfolio topics; signature methods: surveys longitudinal, policy analysis; social/behavioral work is central; funds basic research; capped at 65 (limited social-science role) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 10 none | deep-tech content; no commercialization signal |
Description
The Methodology, Measurement, and Statistics (MMS) Program is an interdisciplinary program in the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences that supports the development of innovative analytical and statistical methods and models for those sciences. MMS seeks proposals that are methodologically innovative, grounded in theory, and have potential utility for multiple fields within the social, behavioral, and economicsciences. As part of its larger portfolio, the MMS Program partners with a consortium of federal statistical agencies to support research proposals that further the production and use of official statistics.
The MMS Program provides support through a number of different funding mechanisms. The following mechanisms are addressed in this solicitation:
Regular Research Awards
Awards for conferences and community-development activities
Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement (DDRI) Grants
Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Supplements
MMS also supports Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) awards. Please see the CAREER Program Web Site for more informationabout this activity.
Eligibility
*Who May Serve as PI:
Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards: DDRI proposals must be submitted with a principal investigator (PI) and a co-principal investigator (co-PI). The PI must be the advisor of the doctoral student or another faculty member at the U.S. institution where the doctoral student is enrolled. The co-PI must be the doctoral student whose dissertation research will be supported.
For all other types of awards, there are no restrictions or limits.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: U.S. National Science Foundation <grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · National Science Foundation conventions SEE AN NSF EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — National Science Foundation's document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.