www.nsf.gov/grfp/ for additional information concerning benefits, eligibility, and tips on applying. Interested applicants should strongly consider preparing their applications as early as possible to help increase their chances of winning.

The GRFP is sponsored by the NSF, which is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense." With an annual budget of about $6.06 billion, NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities. In many fields such as mathematics, computer science and the social sciences, NSF is the major source of federal backing. NSF funding opportunities can be found at http://www.nsf.gov/funding/. The NSF-GRFP Operations Center is administered by the American Society for Engineering Education (http://www.asee.org/fellowships).