Page "National Science Foundation" Paragraph 2

Although many other federal research agencies operate their own laboratories, notable examples being the National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) and the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ), NSF does not.

Instead, it seeks to fulfill its mission chiefly by issuing competitive, limited-term grants in response to specific proposals from the research community.

( The NSF also makes some contracts.

) Some proposals are solicited, and some are not ; the NSF funds both kinds.