Call for Proposals: NSF Unidata 2026 Community Equipment Awards

The NSF Unidata Program Center is pleased to announce the opening of the 2026 NSF Unidata Community Equipment Awards solicitation. Created under the sponsorship of the U.S. National Science Foundation, NSF Unidata equipment awards are intended to encourage new members from diverse disciplinary backgrounds in the Earth Systems Sciences to join the NSF Unidata community, and to encourage existing members to continue their active participation, enhancing the community process. For 2026, a total of $100,000 is available for awards; proposals for amounts up to $20,000 will be considered.

Past recipients of NSF Unidata equipment awards have used the grants to procure equipment for data sharing, to create interactive data visualization laboratories, and to encourage the use of NSF Unidata software packages in research and education. The proposal process is designed to be as low-impact as possible, with just a few required elements. You can view previously accepted proposals, and take advantage of a short proposal template if you choose. Staff at the NSF Unidata Program Center are happy to help you define the hardware requirements for your project or answer any other questions you may have while preparing a proposal.

Note:
NSF Unidata is dedicated to broadening participation in the Earth Systems Science community, and we particularly encourage small institutions, academic departments that have not previously submitted proposals to this program, and programs outside NSF Unidata's traditional atmospheric sciences community to apply.

The deadline for submitting proposals is March 27, 2026. The NSF Unidata Program Center expects to notify submitters of award status by May 2026. For a complete description of the NSF Unidata Community Equipment Awards program, the proposal format, and the proposal review criteria, see the Call for Proposals.

For more on the Community Equipment Awards, along with previous years' accepted proposals, see the Equipment Awards page.