The National Science Foundation is an independent United States federal agency that funds fundamental research and education across all non-medical fields of science and engineering.
With an annual budget of approximately $8.75 billion, the NSF supports around a quarter of all federally backed basic research conducted by American colleges and universities. In disciplines such as mathematics, computer science, economics and the social sciences, it serves as the primary source of federal funding. The foundation operates under a director and deputy director appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, alongside a 24-member National Science Board that sets overall policy through biannual meetings. Its medical research counterpart is the National Institutes of Health, which handles health and biomedical sciences separately.
