42 U.S.C. § 1870 — General authority of Foundation

to prescribe such rules and regulations as it deems necessary governing the manner of its operations and its organization and personnel;

to make such expenditures as may be necessary for administering the provisions of this chapter;

to enter into contracts or other arrangements, or modifications thereof, for the carrying on, by organizations or individuals in the United States and foreign countries, including other government agencies of the United States and of foreign countries, of such scientific or engineering activities as the Foundation deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter, and, at the request of the Secretary^* of State^* or Secretary of Defense, specific scientific or engineering activities in connection with matters relating to international cooperation or national security, and, when deemed appropriate by the Foundation, such contracts or other arrangements, or modifications thereof may be entered into without legal consideration, without performance or other bonds, and without regard to section 6101 of title 41;

to make advance, progress, and other payments which relate to scientific or engineering activities without regard to the provisions of section 3324(a) and (b) of title 31;

to acquire by purchase, lease, loan, gift, or condemnation, and to hold and dispose of by grant, sale, lease, or loan, real and personal property of all kinds necessary for, or resulting from, the exercise of authority granted by this chapter;

to receive and use funds donated by others, if such funds are donated without restriction other than that they be used in furtherance of one or more of the general purposes of the Foundation, except that funds may be donated for specific prize competitions for “basic research” as defined in the Office of Management and Budget Circular No. A–11;

to publish or arrange for the publication of scientific and engineering information so as to further the full dissemination of information of scientific or engineering value consistent with the national interest, without regard to the provisions of section 501 of title 44;

to accept and utilize the services of voluntary and uncompensated personnel and to provide transportation and subsistence as authorized by section 5703 of title 5 for persons serving without compensation;

to prescribe, with the approval of the Comptroller General of the United States, the extent to which vouchers for funds expended under contracts for scientific or engineering research shall be subject to itemization or substantiation prior to payment, without regard to the limitations of other laws relating to the expenditure of public funds and accounting therefor;

to arrange with and reimburse the heads of other Federal agencies for the performance of any activity which the Foundation is authorized to conduct;

during the 5-year period beginning on August 21, 1986, to indemnify grantees, contractors, and subcontractors associated with the Ocean Drilling Program under the provisions of section 2354 1 of title 10 with all approvals and certifications required by such indemnification made by the Director^*; and

to provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information within the United States concerning the Foundation’s activities and the results of those activities.