EconDefense
INT-41 / Intelligence, counterintelligence and security

Fund cryptologic research by private individuals and institutions

NSA grants support cryptologic research under an agency-specific express statutory grant authority.

Action briefPDF dossier · original 168Download record
Authority / instrument · INT-41

Intelligence research and information partnerships

Intelligence, counterintelligence and security

Statute & instrument
Authority holder

Director of the National Security Agency.

What this does not authorize / hard limit

Cryptologic research purpose; not unrestricted business investment or general scholarship power.

Recorded executor

NSA research and grants offices

Continue to actor →

Institutional routing from the recorded executing role. See the office profile for its published responsibilities and engagement routes.

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingPartial disclosureEffective only to extent appropriated funds available. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRemit sourcedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRelated evidenceNSA’s live page links a FY 2027 mathematics solicitation due October 15, 2026. The call is current. Funding is contingent, and the document contains conflicting duration statements. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Public evidence describes the institution and instrument; it is not approval of an individual transaction.

At a glance

Possible toolINT-41 · Security & information

Authority holder: Director of the National Security Agency.

Security & information

Mechanism tags describe the source text; they do not expand the authority.

Availability and verification

Existing statutory pathway; conditional on the listed findings, approvals, eligible purpose and actual available funds. Not an obligation-ready certification.

Program process and intake

Checked 2026-10-04 · program documented. Program evidence is separate from legal authority, available funds and transaction approval.

NSA’s live page links a FY 2027 mathematics solicitation due October 15, 2026. The call is current. Funding is contingent, and the document contains conflicting duration statements.

NSA Mathematical Sciences Program (MSP) — FY 2027

Who this route serves
U.S. nonprofit institutions applying on behalf of eligible principal investigators
Administering office / routing lead
NSA Mathematical Sciences Program and grant office; applicant institution sponsored-program office
Related process

The solicitation identifies Assistance Listing 12.901; it does not expressly identify § 3611 in the reviewed text. MSP is a documented NSA grant program, not a proven subsection-specific use.

What this evidence label means
Deadline published; funds contingent

The linked FY 2027 solicitation gives a deadline of October 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Its stated weekday is inconsistent with the calendar; rely on the date and time, and confirm with the program.

Status reference date: 2026-10-04 · research checked 2026-10-04

NSA Mathematical Sciences Program — FY2027 solicitation · §§ 1.1–1.8,2.0–2.4 and AttachmentAofficial solicitation · Evidence record

Program eligibility

Steps and preparation

Funding, limits and authority relationship

Funding and financial terms

  • Solicitation ceilings, not appropriations · FY2027 call

    The call states funds are not yet available. Conferences/workshops are generally $10,000–$15,000 with a $25,000 annual ceiling; REU has a $125,000 annual ceiling. These are call terms, not awarded amounts.

    NSA Mathematical Sciences Program — FY2027 solicitation · §§ 1.1–1.8,2.0–2.4 and AttachmentAofficial solicitation · Evidence record

Exclusions and limits

Authority relationship source

NSA Mathematical Sciences Program — FY2027 solicitation · §§ 1.1–1.8,2.0–2.4 and AttachmentAofficial solicitation · Evidence record

Current NSA MSP page and guidelines →

institutional grant-submission guidance: Use the FY2027 document linked by NSA; confirm conflicting terms and funds availability.

Research scope and sources checked

Opened the live NSA page and followed its guidelines link to the FY2027 PDF; compared it with indexed FY2026 material. Searched the assistance-listing/statute linkage without finding an express primary-source bridge.

What remains unverified

  • No award or available obligation balance is established. Resolve the internal duration conflict with the program. The exact § 3611 linkage is not verified by the solicitation.

A dated source check is not continuing monitoring. Recheck the linked official notice before preparing a submission. Browse program research →

Requirements and limits

Eligibility & prerequisites

  • Director determines grant clearly consistent with national security.
  • Federal grant/cooperative-agreement framework applies to extent consistent with NSA information-protection statute.

Limits & exclusions

  • Cryptologic research purpose; not unrestricted business investment or general scholarship power.

Funding conditions

  • Effective only to extent appropriated funds available.

Read the funding and execution guide

Who contributes what

Need & planning

Resources

  • NSA appropriations available for cryptologic research grants
    Office profile

Approval

Execution

Partners & review

  • DNI for NIP matters
  • Relevant CCMD J2 and Service intelligence staff
    Office profile
  • FBI/CIA or State only where required by the activity

Office links are editorial matches to the original role text, not verified delegations. Composite labels and unmatched actors are preserved.

Coordination pathway

Research requirement → NSA research/grants office → national-security determination → funded grant and oversight.

Actor and execution-role sources

Legal basis

What this research establishes

Legal basisSources linkedLegal sources and instrument limits are recorded.
RequirementsGates recordedRead the requirements for this instrument; applicability depends on the proposed action.
Public fundingPartial disclosureEffective only to extent appropriated funds available. Office budget figures are separate institutional context, not an allocation to this instrument.
Assigned rolesRemit sourcedPublic sources describe institutional authority. The instrument identifies approval and execution roles; a specific signature remains transaction-dependent.
EngagementRelated evidenceNSA’s live page links a FY 2027 mathematics solicitation due October 15, 2026. The call is current. Funding is contingent, and the document contains conflicting duration statements. Program check: 2026-10-04; see each route for intake status.

Confidence: High on express statutory capability; execution/delegation and currently available resources require program-specific confirmation.

Currentness: GovInfo 2024 U.S. Code baseline read; relevant FY2026 NDAA (Pub. L. 119-60, enacted 2025-12-18) amendments reviewed. Target 2026-10-02; source-specific OLRC checks and remaining delta are documented in international.md. No certification of current funds or executed delegations.

Review scope: Original research target October 2, 2026; no record-specific last-review date supplied. Publication is not legal-currentness certification.

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