# NSF Award Search Scraper (`crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper`) Actor Search and extract NSF (National Science Foundation) research award data including funding amounts, principal investigators, awardee organizations, and project abstracts. Filter by keyword, date range, and US state. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, MCP servers - **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 0.0% runs succeeded, 4 bookmarks - **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## NSF Award Search Scraper Extract research award data from the **National Science Foundation (NSF)** — the US federal agency that funds fundamental research across science, engineering, and education. This actor gives you structured, export-ready access to NSF's public award database. Search by keyword, filter by date range or US state, or look up specific awards by ID to retrieve funding amounts, principal investigator names, awardee organizations, project abstracts, and more. --- ### What You Can Scrape - **Award Search** — Retrieve awards matching a keyword with optional filters for date range and awardee state. - **Award Detail Lookup** — Fetch complete award details for specific NSF Award IDs, including project outcomes reports. --- ### Key Features - Search NSF awards by any keyword (topic, technology, research area) - Filter by award start date range (MM/DD/YYYY format) - Filter by US state of the awardee institution (all 50 states + DC) - Look up specific awards by NSF Award ID - Award amounts parsed from formatted strings (e.g. "1,500,000" → 1500000) - Includes project outcomes reports when available - Direct links to NSF Award Search for every record - No authentication or API key required --- ### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Description | Default | |-----------|------|-------------|---------| | `mode` | Select | `searchAwards` or `getAwardDetail` | `searchAwards` | | `keyword` | Text | Keywords to search in award titles and abstracts | `machine learning` | | `dateStart` | Text | Filter awards starting on or after this date (MM/DD/YYYY) | — | | `dateEnd` | Text | Filter awards starting on or before this date (MM/DD/YYYY) | — | | `awardeeState` | Select | US state code to filter by awardee location | Any | | `awardIds` | Array | List of specific NSF Award IDs (for `getAwardDetail` mode) | `[]` | | `maxItems` | Integer | Maximum records to return (1–5,000) | `50` | --- ### Output Fields | Field | Type | Description | |-------|------|-------------| | `awardId` | String | NSF Award ID | | `title` | String | Award title | | `abstractText` | String | Project abstract describing the research | | `estimatedTotalAmt` | Integer | Total estimated award amount in USD | | `startDate` | String | Award start date (MM/DD/YYYY) | | `expDate` | String | Award expiration date (MM/DD/YYYY) | | `awardeeName` | String | Name of the awardee institution | | `awardeeCity` | String | City of the awardee institution | | `awardeeStateCode` | String | US state code of the awardee | | `awardeeCountryCode` | String | Country code of the awardee | | `pdPIName` | String | Program Director / Principal Investigator name | | `agency` | String | Funding agency (typically `NSF`) | | `fundProgramName` | String | NSF funding program name | | `projectOutcomesReport` | String | Project outcomes report text (when available) | | `sourceUrl` | String | Direct link to the NSF Award page | | `recordType` | String | Always `award` | | `scrapedAt` | String | ISO timestamp when the record was scraped | --- ### Example Use Cases 1. **Grant intelligence** — Find all NSF awards on quantum computing from 2020–2023 in California. 2. **Researcher discovery** — Identify PIs funded by NSF in specific research areas. 3. **Competitive analysis** — Track which universities receive the most NSF funding. 4. **Policy research** — Monitor NSF funding trends across states and research domains. 5. **Award verification** — Look up specific award details by Award ID for reporting or compliance. 6. **Literature mapping** — Cross-reference NSF award IDs with publications. --- ### Frequently Asked Questions **Do I need an API key?** No. The NSF award data is publicly accessible and does not require authentication. **How many records can I retrieve?** Up to 5,000 records per run using the `maxItems` parameter. **What date format should I use?** Use MM/DD/YYYY format for `dateStart` and `dateEnd`. For example: `01/01/2020` for January 1, 2020. **Can I search by state?** Yes. Use the `awardeeState` dropdown to filter by the US state of the awardee organization (e.g. `CA` for California). **Can I look up specific awards by ID?** Yes. Set mode to `getAwardDetail` and provide a list of NSF Award IDs in the `awardIds` field. This also returns project outcomes reports. **What is `estimatedTotalAmt`?** The total estimated award amount in US dollars. This is returned as an integer (e.g. `1500000` for $1.5M). **What is `pdPIName`?** The name of the Program Director and/or Principal Investigator associated with the award. **What is `fundProgramName`?** The name of the NSF program that funded the award (e.g. `INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS`, `COMPUTER SYSTEMS RESEARCH`). **What is a Project Outcomes Report?** For awards in `getAwardDetail` mode, NSF may include a researcher-submitted summary of outcomes and discoveries. This is included in the `projectOutcomesReport` field when available. **How current is the data?** The NSF awards database is updated regularly. The `scrapedAt` field shows when each record was retrieved. **Are international awards included?** The NSF primarily funds US-based research. Use the `awardeeCountryCode` field to filter or identify international collaborations. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): Select the scraping mode: search awards by keyword/filters, or retrieve full details for specific award IDs. ## `keyword` (type: `string`): Keywords to search in award titles and abstracts. ## `dateStart` (type: `string`): Filter awards with start date on or after this date. Format: MM/DD/YYYY ## `dateEnd` (type: `string`): Filter awards with start date on or before this date. Format: MM/DD/YYYY ## `awardeeState` (type: `string`): Filter by US state of the awardee organization. ## `awardIds` (type: `array`): List of specific NSF Award IDs to retrieve. Used with getAwardDetail mode. ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of award records to return. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "searchAwards", "keyword": "machine learning", "dateStart": "01/01/2020", "dateEnd": "12/31/2023", "maxItems": 50 } ```` # Actor output Schema ## `items` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped NSF award records. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "searchAwards", "keyword": "machine learning", "maxItems": 50 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "searchAwards", "keyword": "machine learning", "maxItems": 50, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "searchAwards", "keyword": "machine learning", "maxItems": 50 }' | apify call crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlerbros/nsf-award-search-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "NSF Award Search Scraper", "description": "Search and extract NSF (National Science Foundation) research award data including funding amounts, principal investigators, awardee organizations, and project abstracts. Filter by keyword, date range, and US state.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "eLajF77JfTbKLwWPI" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlerbros~nsf-award-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlerbros-nsf-award-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~nsf-award-search-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlerbros-nsf-award-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlerbros~nsf-award-search-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlerbros-nsf-award-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "searchAwards", "getAwardDetail" ], "type": "string", "description": "Select the scraping mode: search awards by keyword/filters, or retrieve full details for specific award IDs.", "default": "searchAwards" }, "keyword": { "title": "Keyword", "type": "string", "description": "Keywords to search in award titles and abstracts." }, "dateStart": { "title": "Date start (MM/DD/YYYY)", "type": "string", "description": "Filter awards with start date on or after this date. Format: MM/DD/YYYY" }, "dateEnd": { "title": "Date end (MM/DD/YYYY)", "type": "string", "description": "Filter awards with start date on or before this date. Format: MM/DD/YYYY" }, "awardeeState": { "title": "Awardee state", "enum": [ "", "AL", "AK", "AZ", "AR", "CA", "CO", "CT", "DE", "DC", "FL", "GA", "HI", "ID", "IL", "IN", "IA", "KS", "KY", "LA", "ME", "MD", "MA", "MI", "MN", "MS", "MO", "MT", "NE", "NV", "NH", "NJ", "NM", "NY", "NC", "ND", "OH", "OK", "OR", "PA", "RI", "SC", "SD", "TN", "TX", "UT", "VT", "VA", "WA", "WV", "WI", "WY" ], "type": "string", "description": "Filter by US state of the awardee organization." }, "awardIds": { "title": "Award IDs (for getAwardDetail mode)", "type": "array", "description": "List of specific NSF Award IDs to retrieve. Used with getAwardDetail mode.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 5000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of award records to return.", "default": 50 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```