Life and Environments Through Time
Last verified by NonDilute: 2026-06-08. Official notice and agency instructions control.
If you study how Earth's climate, life, and environments evolved over billions of years, NSF will fund your research—especially if it informs predictions about future global change.
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What this is
The Life and Environments Through Time (LET) program funds basic research investigating the origin and evolution of Earth's climate systems, environments, life forms, and sedimentary records across deep time scales. Research can operate at molecular, local, regional, or global scales and may integrate data from multiple disciplines including geology, paleontology, biology, and chemistry. Successful projects advance fundamental knowledge applicable to predicting future environmental change and maintaining ecosystem services, making it relevant for researchers with interdisciplinary approaches to paleoenvironmental and evolutionary questions.
Who can apply
Eligibility is restricted; see NSF's Additional Information on Eligibility section. Typically NSF LET programs fund research at academic institutions, universities, and eligible non-profit research organizations. Solo founders and commercial startups are unlikely to be eligible unless operating as research entities.
Eligible applicant types
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
Full description — from the agency
The Life and Environments Through Time (LET) program supports research that advances knowledge about the patterns and processes relating to the origin and evolution of Earth’s climate, environments, life, and sedimentary record. This research takes place at the molecular, local, regional, and global scales from the Archean Eon through the Holocene epoch. LET-supported research can be useful for predicting and planning for future global change, and for the maintenance and security of ecosystem services and human societies.
Topics: paleoclimate research · earth evolution · deep time · sedimentary records · paleoenvironments · ecosystem services · archean to holocene
Public-source funding discovery only. This summary is generated from public agency data and may be incomplete or stale. NonDilute is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any government agency. Official notices and agency instructions control. NonDilute does not determine eligibility, provide grant-writing advice, or guarantee funding.