Areas of study:  Any of the NSF directorates, including all of the sciences, math, engineering, computer science, social and behavioral sciences, political science, and economics. 

Amount & Duration.  Minimum, including indirect costs, will total $400,000 for the 5-year duration with the following exception. Proposers to the Biological Sciences Directorate (BIO) must submit budget requests for a minimum of $500,000 for the 5-year duration. 

Next Due Dates:  July 18, 19, 20^th, depending on Directorate. 

Purpose:  “To support the early career development activities of teacher-scholars who most effectively integrate research and education within the context of their organization”.

This premier program emphasizes the importance the Foundation places on the early development of academic careers dedicated to stimulating the discovery process in which the excitement of research is enhanced by inspired teaching and enthusiastic learning. Effective integration of research and education at all levels generates a synergy in which the process of discovery stimulates learning and assures that the findings and methods of research are quickly and effectively communicated in a broader context and to a larger audience.

The CAREER program embodies NSF’s commitment to encourage faculty to practice, and academic institutions to value, integration of research and education. Successful PIs will propose creative, integrative, and effective research and education plans, developed within the context of the mission, goals and resources of their organization, and which will build a firm foundation for a lifetime of contributions to the integration of research and education. 

They even mention how much they value predominately undergraduate institutions.

RIG and CAA grants for under-represented groups in the Biological Sciences

RIG-Research Initiation Grants, for faculty, "usually" in their first academic appt, who have never been a PI or Co-I on a federal grant.  CAA are Career Advancement Awards for faculty who may have had a federal grant before who want to develop a new tool or skill.  The point of this program is to increase the involvement of people who are under-represented in the bio sciences, first by supporting the career development of faculty who are women, minority, or disabled, and then secondly through the ripple effect of those folks involving under-represented students to get involved and mentoring other under-represented faculty themselves.  So, actually, those are the two main requirements: being from an under-represented group and being in the bio sciences.  Grants on this one are for $ 150,000 over 2 years, with possible additional $ 25,000 for equipment.  The RIG will not pay for Co-Is, the CAA will.  Next due date is July 12th.