October 25, 2016

NSF Issues New Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide

The Sponsored Projects Office has received the following notice from the National Science Foundation. NSF has published a new Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), effective January 30, 2017.


Dear Colleagues:

We are pleased to announce that a revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 17-1) has been issued. The PAPPG has been modified in its entirety, to remove all references to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG). The document will now be referred to solely as the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide. The document will be sequentially numbered from Chapter I-XII and all references throughout have been modified to reflect this change. Given the number of important revisions, the community is strongly encouraged to review the by-chapter summary of changes provided at the beginning of the PAPPG.

The new PAPPG will be effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after January 30, 2017. In addition to the significant change mentioned above, other revisions include:
  • Addition of new sections on Special Processing Instructions and Types of Proposals, including two new types, RAISE and GOALI;
  • Additional instructions for proposers on completion of the Collaborators and Other Affiliations information;
  • Supplemental guidance on submission of proposals by organizations impacted by a natural or anthropogenic disaster;
  • Implementation of 45 CFR 690.118 for applications and proposals lacking definite plans for involvement of human subjects;
  • Update on the type of information that NSF may request from proposers with regard to Federal environmental statutes;
  • Supplemental information regarding treatment of NSF awards with canceled appropriations; and
  • Numerous other changes and clarifications throughout the document.
Webinars to brief the community on the new PAPPG will be held on November 7th and January 19th at 1 PM EST. Registration is required on the outreach events website.

While this version of the PAPPG becomes effective on January 30, 2017, in the interim, the guidelines contained in the current PAPPG (NSF 16-1) continue to apply. We will ensure that the current version of the PAPPG remains on the NSF website, with a notation to proposers that specifies when the new PAPPG (including a link to the new Guide) will become effective.

If you have any questions regarding these changes, please contact the Policy Office on (703) 292-8243 or by e-mail to policy@nsf.gov.

Regards,

Jean Feldman
Head, Policy Office
Division of Institution and Award Support
Office of Budget, Finance & Award Management


December 12, 2016 update: The NSF Policy Office has issued a revised set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Proposal Preparation and Award Administration that accompany the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG), (NSF 17-1), and are effective for proposals submitted or due, and awards made on or after, January 30, 2017.

December 16, 2016 update:  The NSF Policy Office has sent out a notice that NSF has revised the entire suite of Award Terms and Conditions to align with changes to the Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 17-1). All references to the Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) and Award & Administration Guide (AAG) have been replaced with references to the PAPPG. Each set of terms and conditions is accompanied by a summary of changes made to that document. The revised Terms and Conditions will apply to all new NSF awards and funding amendments to existing NSF awards issued on or after January 30, 2017.