If your grant proposal to the NSF is approved for funding, then it
becomes public information. The NSF will post the abstract of the
proposal on their website. To see the entire proposal, you can write
to the Principal Investigator (PI) to request a copy. You can also
submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the NSF to
obtain the document, but I think any PI should be willing to send you
a copy. The NSF does not release proposals that were rejected, nor
does it release reviewers' comments for any proposal, whether
successful or not.
Reading successful proposals in your field is a great way to see what
kinds of projects are getting funded, what it takes to write a
successful proposal, and to get ideas for your research or perhaps for
initiating collaborations.
Here's the URL:
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/.
Here's a homework assignment to give you
a little practice searching:
Exercise 1: How generous has the NSF been to that hard-working former
Board member Frank Sottile? (Hint: try the PI Search link.)
Exercise 2: Search for any successful proposals in your area. (Note:
you need to search on active or expired proposals separately.)
