The FY26 National Science Foundation (NSF) House Dear Colleague Letter urges members of the House of Representatives to support robust funding for the NSF in Fiscal Year 2026, emphasizing the importance of maintaining U.S. leadership in science, technology, and innovation. The letter calls for a significant investment in NSF to advance research, support emerging technologies, and ensure America’s long-term competitiveness and security.
Dear Chairman Rogers and Ranking Member Meng:
We write to respectfully request that you support robust funding of at least $10.18 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. Despite strong bipartisan support for NSF, the agency suffered cuts in the difficult FY24 funding environment.
The nation faces urgent competitiveness challenges, and NSF funding is critical to ensuring our innovation ecosystem is prepared to lead the world in the emerging technologies that are key to economic security and our national defense. For nearly 75 years, NSF has advanced the frontiers of the full spectrum of science and engineering research and innovation.
NSF is also critical for developing and strengthening our nation's workforce. More than a quarter of all graduate trainees in cutting-edge areas of research are supported by NSF. It also supports the education of advanced technical workers at more than 150 community colleges nationwide and works closely with industry and other partners to expand efforts to meet labor market needs by investing in targeted expertise and training programs.
For these reasons, we encourage you to robustly fund the National Science Foundation in FY2026. We must ensure our nation remains at the forefront of scientific and technological innovation across all fields of research.