Concerns about systemic racism at academic and research institutions have increased over the past decade. Here, we investigate data from the National Science Foundation (NSF), a major funder of research in the United States, and find evidence for pervasive racial disparities. In particular, white principal investigators (PIs) are consistently funded at higher rates than most non-white PIs. Funding rates for white PIs have also been increasing relative to annual overall rates with time. Moreover, disparities occur across all disciplinary directorates within the NSF and are greater for research proposals. The distributions of average external review scores also exhibit systematic offsets based on PI race. Similar patterns have been described in other research funding bodies, suggesting that racial disparities are widespread. The prevalence and persistence of these racial disparities in funding have cascading impacts that perpetuate a cumulative advantage to white PIs across all of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Competing Interests: CC Has previously applied for, received, and benefitted from funding through grants and fellowships awarded by the NSF; has previously served as an ad hoc reviewer for NSF proposal review, SK Has previously applied for, received, and is currently funded through grants and a fellowship awarded by the NSF, AT Has previously applied for, received, and/or is currently funded by grants from NSF; has also previously served as ad hoc and/or panel reviewers at NSF, RA, JH Has previously applied for, received, and/or is currently funded by grants from NSF; has previously served as ad hoc and/or panel reviewers at NSF, VM Has previously applied for, received, and/or is currently funded by grants from NSF; has previously served as ad hoc and/or panel reviewers at NSF. VRM currently serves on the Committee of Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering to NSF, KA Has previously applied for and/or received grants from NSF