Limited Submissions Program
The Penn State Limited Submission Program manages the response to research funding opportunities for which a limited number of submissions are permitted from Penn State. The Senior Vice President for Research (SVPR), in close communication with the college research deans and interdisciplinary consortia directors, is charged with implementing the Penn State Limited Submission Procedure.
Limited Submission Opportunities
Currently Accepting Applications
If you would like to be considered as a Penn State institutional applicant for one of these opportunities, please submit a Proposal or Notice of Intent (NOI). Depending on the level of interest, a downselect competition may be held.
Important Note: Unless otherwise noted, all Penn State internal deadlines are due by 4:00 p.m. EDT on the date listed.
| Program Name | URLs | Funding Agency | Type | Penn State NOI/Proposal Deadline | Agency Final Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | Proposal | May 8, 2026 | June 16, 2026 | ||
| Alfred P. Sloan Foundation | Proposal | May 20, 2026 | September 15, 2026 | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | NOI | May 27, 2026 | June 1, 2026 | ||
| Kinship Foundation | Proposal | May 27, 2026 | September 30, 2026 | ||
| Josiah Macy Jr. Foundation | Proposal | June 12, 2026 | July 30, 2026 | ||
| Lalor Foundation | NOI | August 5, 2026 | November 1, 2026 |
Open
The internal deadline on these opportunities has passed, but it is likely still possible to submit. If you are interested in applying request a ticket.
| Program Name | URLs | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | May 25, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| Brain Research Foundation (BRF) | June 2, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable Foundation | July 17, 2026 | Ruobo Zhou (Chemistry),Kara Fikrig (Entomology). One submission slot remains available. If you are interested, please contact Maria Petrilak, Associate Director, Foundation Relations (mep6096@psu.edu), to review alignment with the program. | ||
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | July 21, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | July 28, 2026 | Category I: Anton Nekrutenko (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology), Category II: No applicants. Open until filled | ||
| Les Paul Foundation | September 15, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. | ||
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | September 25, 2026 | No applicants. Open until filled. |
In Review
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to these funding opportunities and the internal deadline has passed. The number of NOIs received require that an internal competition take place, thus, a downselect process has commenced. No Penn State researchers may apply to any of these opportunities outside of downselect process.
| Program Name | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pew Charitable Trusts | May 18, 2026 | ||
| Conservation, Food and Health Foundation | June 15, 2026 | ||
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | November 16, 2026 |
Closed
Penn State may only submit a specific number of proposals to these funding opportunities. No additional Penn State researchers may apply for these opportunities.
| Program Name | Funding Agency | Agency Final Deadline | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | March 25, 2026 | Everton Tavares Guimaraes (Penn State Great Valley Graduate Center - Engineering Division); Aldo Morales ( Penn State Harrisburg - School of Science, Engineering & Technology) | |
| Staunton Farm Foundation | May 15, 2026 | For more information about the Staunton Farm Foundation, please reach out to Anne Pastor, Director of Campus Development at Penn State Greater Allegheny, at annepastor@psu.edu. | |
| Pew Charitable Trusts | May 15, 2026 | Mohanraj Krishnan (Biobehavioral Health) | |
| American Diabetes Association (ADA) | May 19, 2026 | Siddharth Sunilkumar (Cell and Biological Systems) | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | May 25, 2026 | Kristin Sznajder (Public Health Sciences) | |
| National Institutes of Health (NIH) | May 27, 2026 | Cairsty Depasquale (Penn State Altoona - Division of Mathematics & Natural Sciences), Alexis Santos ( Penn State University Park - Human Development and Family Studies) | |
| National Science Foundation (NSF) | May 27, 2026 | Justin Aglio (Penn State Outreach) | |
| United States Department of Energy (DOE) | June 26, 2026 | Topic Area 1: Production and material efficiency for critical materials including rare earth elements - 1B: Recovery and production from postconsumer scrap : Thandazile Moyo (Energy and Mineral Engineering) Topic Area 2: Processes to refine and alloy gallium, gallium nitride, germanium, and silicon carbide for use in semiconductors: Available. Topic Area 3A: Cost-Competitive Direct Lithium Extraction: Arash Dahi Taleghani (Energy Mineral Engineering) Topic Area 3B: Advancing pre- and post- treatment and disposal technologies for direct lithium extraction of geothermal brines: Feifei Shi (Energy and Mineral Engineering) Topic Area 3C: Exploration and characterization of critical materials and rare earth elements (REEs) from volcanic-hosted geothermal systems: Available | |
| William T. Grant Foundation | June 30, 2026 | This opportunity is institutionally coordinated by the Penn State's Office of Foundation Relations. For more information, please contact Jara Dorsey-Lash (jed72@psu.edu), Executive Director of the Office of Foundation Relations. | |
| Edward Mallinckrodt, Jr. Foundation | July 1, 2026 | Joshua Gross (Nutritional Sciences) | |
| National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) | July 9, 2026 | 2026NEA01GAP2: July 9, 2026 - David Kersnar ( School of Theatre) | |
| Engineering Information Foundation (EIF) | August 31, 2026 | Catherine L. Cohan ( Center for Engineering Outreach and Inclusion, College of Engineering) | |
| National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) | October 1, 2026 | Piyal Sarkar (Penn State Harrisburg - School of Business Administration);John Christman (Penn State University Park - Philosophy) |
Archives
View past limited submission competitions.
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