The Administration's FY 2011 budget proposal, released on 1 February 2010, provides $7.4 billion for the National Science Foundation. This funding level reflects the President's Plan for Science and Innovation giving NSF an 8% increase over the level enacted in the FY 2010 federal budget.
Full funding of the FY 2011 proposed budget will double the funding for multidisciplinary research focused on "next-generation" information technology; provide new funding at $766 million to support cross-agency research on environmental and climate system processes and renewable energy technology; and provide a 14% increase in funding to broaden participation of undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
For the Office of Polar Programs, the budget request provides $528 million, a 17% increase over FY 2010 funding levels. It continues a $4 million investment to support transformative, high risk/high reward research, and provides $111 million for the Arctic Sciences Division, which is a 4.8% increase over FY 2010. Additionally, the proposed budget will meet the OPP request of $54 million for operations and maintenance of the U.S. Coast Guard polar icebreakers Polar Sea and Healy.
The Senate Budget Committee passed the FY 2011 Senate Budget Resolution on 22 April 2010. However, appropriations hearings remain in sub-committee and Congress is not expected to send appropriations bills to the President until after the mid-term elections. Congress passed a continuing resolution on 29 September 2010 before adjourning for the election season recess. The continuing resolution will keep government operations funded at FY 2010 levels until 3 December 2010, or until Congress resumes and takes action on the FY 2011 budget.
For more information, see the NSF Budget Division website: http://www.nsf.gov/about/budget.