Life

The National Science Foundation recently announced that as part of their Career-Life Balance Initiative, they would like to draw attention to the opportunity for supplemental funding to help NSF-funded researchers (including graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) who are confronted with a short-term increase in dependent care responsibilities ensure that the research activities supported by an NSF award can continue. Read on for more information!

By Chava Nerenberg, Graduate Programming Assistant
Monday, March 29th, 2021 - 7:10am

As part of its Career-Life Balance (CLB) initiative, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced in a recent "Dear Colleague Letter" (DCL) the opportunity for supplemental funding to help researchers (including graduate students and postdoctoral scholars) who are confronted with a short-term increase in dependent care responsibilities to ensure that the research activities supported by an NSF award can continue. Below are selected excerpts from the announcement; for more specific information please access the full letter here:

  • Career-Life Balance supplements to existing research awards may be requested to support additional personnel (e.g., a technician or research assistant) to sustain research while a postdoctoral researcher or graduate student being supported by NSF on the award is on family leave for primary dependent care responsibilities and other direct family considerations.

  • Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) awardee institutions may request supplemental funding to support additional personnel (e.g., a technician or research assistant) to sustain the research of NSF Graduate Research Fellows on approved medical deferral due to primary dependent care (family leave) situations.

  • Provided that a postdoctoral fellowship award, funded through one of NSF's postdoctoral fellowship programs, is made to an institution and not directly to the fellow, the awardee may request supplemental funding to support additional personnel (e.g., a technician or research assistant) to sustain research while the postdoctoral fellow being supported by NSF on the award is on family leave for primary dependent care responsibilities and other direct family considerations.

  • The supplemental request may include funding for up to six months of salary support or stipend for a maximum of $30,000 in direct costs of salary compensation or stipend, but the duration of the salary or stipend support may not exceed the duration of the family leave. Fringe benefits and associated indirect costs, but not tuition, may be included in addition to the salary costs, and therefore, the total supplemental funding request may exceed $30,000.

Please see the full DCL for details and special instructions for the preparation and submission of CLB Supplemental Funding Requests.