The Proposal and Award Policies and Procedures Guide (PAPPG) is comprised of documents relating to the Foundation's proposal and award process for the assistance programs of NSF. The PAPPG, in conjunction with NSF's Grant General Conditions, serves as the Foundation's implementation of 2 CFR § 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards. If the PAPPG and NSF Grant Conditions are silent on a specific area covered by 2 CFR § 200, the requirements specified in 2 CFR § 200 must be followed.

Part II of the NSF PAPPG sets forth NSF policies and procedures regarding the award, administration, and monitoring of grants and cooperative agreements. Coverage includes the NSF award process, from issuance and administration of an NSF award through closeout. Guidance is provided regarding other grant requirements or considerations that either are not universally applicable or do not follow the award cycle. Part II also implements other Public Laws, Executive Orders (E.O.) and other directives insofar as they apply to grants, and is issued pursuant to the authority of Section 11(a) of the NSF Act (42 USC § 1870). When NSF Grant General Conditions or an award notice reference a particular section of the PAPPG, then that section becomes part of the award requirements through incorporation by reference.

The Grant General Conditions, Research Terms and Conditions, Cooperative Agreement Conditions and Special Conditions pages provide the full text of the terms and conditions used to manage NSF grants and cooperative agreements. Topics covered include awardee responsibilities, Federal requirements, pre-award costs, no-cost extensions, significant project changes, travel, allowable costs, project reports, final report requirements, and more.

The Policy Office, in the Division of Institution and Award Support, provides general proposal andamp; award policy guidance for use by the NSF proposer and awardee community. The Policy Office page includes NSF-specific regulations, policies and procedures, other Federal regulations, information regarding important NSF policies, answers to frequently asked questions, award conditions, as well as other valuable information.

The NSF conducts outreach on proposal preparation and award administration, through NSF Grant Conferences, other targeted outreach programs, as well as FastLane outreach activities.

The Division of Grants and Agreements (DGA) is responsible for the award of all NSF grants and agreements recommended for support by NSF program offices, with the exception of the Foundation's portfolio of large facility cooperative agreements. From pre-award through closeout, DGA conducts a variety of business, financial, and administrative reviews to ensure compliance with award terms and conditions, NSF policies and procedures, and Federal rules and regulations. Pre- and post-award reviews of awardee organizations are conducted in coordination with DGA and by the Division of Institution and Award Support through its Cost Analysis and Audit Resolution Branch. The Cooperative Support Branch under the Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support is responsible for negotiation, award, administration, monitoring and oversight of complex cooperative agreements for Federal Funded Research Centers (FFRDCs), major research facilities, and other large facilities in various stages of the facility lifecycle. The Cash Management Branch of the Division of Financial Management manages the awardee payment processes. Quick links to the NSF offices that support Award Management functions, Foundation news impacting awardees, and related information and answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are also provided on the DGA site to assist awardees with managing their awards.

NSF is a participant in the Federal Demonstration Partnership (FDP). The FDP is a cooperative initiative among federal agencies and institutional recipients of federal funds. It was established to increase research productivity by streamlining the administrative process and minimizing the administrative burden on principal investigators while maintaining effective stewardship of federal funds. NSF serves as the official host of participating agency documents relating to the FDP.