Social Psychology
NSF funds theoretically grounded basic social psychology research, related infrastructure, and small conferences for eligible applicants, with emphasis on empirical studies of human social behavior and open science.
⚑ No support when the primary goal is improving clinical practice or when the project includes disease-related goals (etiology, diagnosis, treatment, medical abnormality, or clinical interventions). · Accepts regular research, CAREER, RUI, RAPID, EAGER, and small conference proposals; does not accept dissertation improvement awards or MCA awards. · Open science/data sharing expectations are explicit; proposals should include a robust data management and sharing plan. · Interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged and may be coordinated for co-review with other NSF programs.
This is a basic social-psychology program, so it is only adjacent to IPPRA’s core line rather than a direct fit. It could suit team members if framed around public attitudes, risk perception, trust, and threat/warning responses in security, energy, or hazard contexts, but not for purely general social-psych theory divorced from their applied domains.
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) | 70 strong | technical depth: substantial; funds basic research |
| IPPRA | 65 good | peripheral portfolio topic: national_security_defense; signature methods: surveys longitudinal, community engaged; 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 Social Psychology Program at NSF supports theoretically focused empirical investigations that advance fundamental social psychological explanations of human behavior, attitudes, and experience.
Synopsis
The Social Psychology Program invites research and infrastructure proposals that advance knowledge of how human behavior is influenced by macro- and micro-level social forces, including how thought, motivation, emotion, neural, and physiological processes explain ways of thinking about and relating to self and others.
Proposed research should carry strong potential for groundbreaking discoveries about the power of social dynamics to shape peoples’ attitudes, behavior, and experience. Basic research that connects to emerging and ongoing global challenges is especially encouraged.
Proposals that develop new theories or methods are highly encouraged.
Proposals involving non-human animals are considered only if the research offers clear and direct contributions to understanding human social behavior.
Note: Proposals may be returned without review if the primary goal of the research is to improve clinical practice as its primary outcome, or contains disease-related goals, including work on the etiology, diagnosis or treatment of physical or mental illness or disease, medical abnormality, or clinical interventions.
In assessing intellectual merit, the Social Psychology Program places highest priority on research that is theoretically grounded, based on empirical observation and validation, and with designs appropriate to the questions asked (including but not limited to experiments, naturalistic observations, field studies, longitudinal analyses, and computational modeling).
In assessingbroader impacts, the Social Psychology Program places highest priority on proposals that offer strong potential to benefit society, strengthen national security interests, improve the quality of life, build STEM talent, enhance infrastructure for research and education, increase public engagement with science, and include a proactive plan for sharing the results with a wide variety of audiences. PIs are encouraged to review the NSF resources on broader impact .
The Social Psychology Program expects the methods, measures and data that result from NSF support to be openly shared with other researchers and the public. For further guidance proposers should consult Data Management for NSF SBE Directorate Proposals and Awards . The Data Management and Sharing Plan (DMSP) should articulate how the proposed research will engage with best practices of open science. Researchers are expected to engage in open science practices and deviations from that should be well-justified.
The Social Psychology Program accepts regular research proposals, including Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) proposals, proposals for research in undergraduate institutions (RUI), rapid response research proposals (RAPID) and early-concept grants for exploratory research (EAGER). The program also accepts small conference proposals for events (including workshops) being planned one year or more after submission. The Social Psychology Program doesnotaccept proposals for doctoral dissertation improvement awards or mid-career advancement (MCA) awards.
Principal Investigators should selectPD 22-1332 in the program announcement/solicitation block on the proposal cover sheet for submission of regular research projects to the Social Psychology program. Interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary and convergent research approaches are encouraged, and PIs are encouraged to identify possible other programs for co-review. PIs are strongly encouraged to submit the Single Copy Document titled “List of Suggested Reviewers” with their full proposal.
Investigators are encouraged to contact a Social Psychology program director before submitting a proposal to confirm its fit with the scope and priorities of the Social Psychology Program. Such contact is most productive when a one-page (maximum) summary of the planned proposal is sent ahead of a meeting. This summary should include a description of the proposed intellectual merit and broader impacts, as well as an additional page of references cited.
The Social Psychology program is always interested in identifying new reviewers. Potential reviewers should have a Ph.D. in psychology or related field and have a demonstrated area of basic research expertise relevant to social psychology. Individuals interested in reviewing for the program should complete a short survey to indicate their area of expertise and contact information.
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.