美国国家科学基金会（NSF）是国际上具有重要影响的资助基础科学研究的政府基金机构，对促进美国基础科学研究的发展和保持世界领先地位做出了重要贡献。其对基础研究的资助政策、方向遴选、评审程序、经费分配、管理机制等，形成了一套行之有效的模式，对其它国家的基础研究政府资助机构具有借鉴和示范意义。在分析美国NSF近3年经费状况及其领域分配情况、近5年项目受理与批准情况、近12年项目评议情况的基础上，重点分析了地学学部（GEO）的近期重点资助领域、近3年按照NSF的整体优先领域和战略产出目标的经费分配情况、近10年按科学处的经费分配情况及变化趋势、各科学处2004—2006财政年度经费状况与重点资助领域、近10年项目的资助率与资助强度变化情况等。NSF地学学部是美国政府资助以大学为主的地学基础研究的主要渠道，其经费约占美国政府资助地学基础研究经费的62%。对NSF的基金项目资助战略，特别是对其地学学部项目的资助情况予以全面分析，对我国相关部门的管理工作有重要参考价值和借鉴意义。

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is the only US federal agency with a mandate to strengthen the health and vitality of U.S. science and engineering and support fundamental research and education in all scientific and engineering disciplines. Although NSF investments account for only 4 percent of total federal funding for research and development, the agency provides 20 percent of federal support to academic institutions for basic research. NSF investments are especially vital in non-medical fields and disciplines. For over two decades, NSF has been a principal source of federal support for basic research at colleges and universities in such areas as computer science, mathematics, the physical sciences, the social sciences, the environmental sciences, engineering, and non-medical areas of the life sciences. NSF-sponsored activities result in new across-the-board knowledge and technologies and educate a world-class workforce of scientists, engineers, mathematicians, educators, and other technically trained professionals. The Directorate for Geosciences (GEO) of US’s National Science Foundation (NSF) is the principal source of US federal funding for university-based basic research in the geosciences, providing about 62% of the total federal support in these areas. GEO supports the research, infrastructure, and education in the atmospheric, earth, and ocean sciences needed to advance our understanding of the integrated Earth system. In this paper, NSF budget by Directorate and strategic outcome goal and investment category in FY 2004-2006 is introduced, NSF reviewed proposals, awards and funding rates by directorate in FY 2000-2004 are described in detail，and the methods of NSF proposal review in FY 1993-2004 are briefly listed. The paper mainly highlights the funding profiles of the Directorate for Geosciences (GEO), including the funding priorities, GEO budget trend by Division FY 1997-2006, GEO investments in NSF priority areas, strategic outcome goal in FY 2004-2006, and funding by Division in FY 2004-2006, GEO funding for Division of Atmospheric Sciences (ATM), Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) and Division of Ocean Sciences (OCE) in FY 2004-2006, the proposals, awards and funding profiles(include the funding rates, award amounts, proposal dwell time and average funding duration )of GEO and all its three Divisions in FY 1995-2004. The information about the funding strategy and management mechanism of NSF is very important to the efficient management of the foundation of China counterpart.