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National Defense Education Program is a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) that funds STEM education and workforce development activities to build the pipeline of technical talent for national defense. Supported activities include after-school programs, competitions, internships, and professional development for educators and students across K-12, undergraduate, and graduate levels.
Programs span DoD laboratories and centers nationwide and partner with universities and nonprofits. Profit-generating entities are ineligible; eligible applicants must meet specific requirements outlined in each individual funding opportunity announcement. Recent federal obligations suggest approximately $15,000,000 for 2026.
Applications and opportunities are listed through Grants. gov and the DoD STEM portal.
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Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, or STEM, is the gateway to a world of wonder. U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) STEM professionals work at the leading edge of our nation’s most advanced technological breakthroughs. STEM is our future.
DoD STEM supports a wide variety of activities including after-school programs, competitions, and internships for students and professional development and training for educators. Learn about upcoming STEM opportunities in your area or online.
View All STEM Opportunities Upcoming STEM Events & Deadlines Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Scholars Program DoD Innovators Spotlight Series Sep 24, 2025 Jan 14, 2026 National Security Agency (NSA) Codebreaker Challenge DoD STEM partners with organizations nationwide to offer resources for students, parents, educators, mentors, and more!
From math clubs to robotics competitions, the Explore section has something for everyone interested in STEM. Find DoD STEM & STEM Partners DoD STEM partners offer a broad range of instructional aides, activities and events to make learning STEM fun and exciting. Check out videos of DoD STEM professionals as they explore scientific and technical efforts at DoD laboratories nationwide.
What are you interested in? Want to be a robotics engineer or a chemist? View different types of STEM careers.
STEM professionals and alumni who are making an impact through STEM.
Meet STEM Professionals & Alumni Materials Research Engineer , Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, Air Force Research Laboratory Cognitive Scientist , Navy Center for Applied Research and Artificial Intelligence, Naval Research Laboratory DoD STEM supports hands-on learning opportunities, teacher enrichment, scholarships, internships and fellowships to inspire and cultivate exceptional STEM talent.
As the government’s largest employer of STEM professionals, the U.S. Department of Defense is committed to increasing the pipeline of candidates qualified for technical careers.
Download DoD STEM Brochure There are nearly 300,000 DoD STEM Professionals 60,000+ of DoD STEM Professionals work in over 200 DoD Laboratories and Centers Participate in DoD STEM Opportunities Online Resources Calendar SMART Scholarship Program Explore DoD STEM Find DoD STEM Video Library STEM Careers Meet DoD STEM Professionals & Alumni Innovator Awardees Ambassadors About DoD STEM Our Impact Our Partners For the Media Logos and Photos This web site may contain hyperlinks to information created and maintained by other public and private organizations.
These links are provided for visitors' convenience. References in this web site to any commercial products, processes, or services, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the site's visitors, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. government. Connect with us Email YouTube Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn
According to the current listing, eligibility includes: Please refer to funding opportunity announcement for specific eligibility requirements. Profit is not allowed. Confirm the full requirements in the official notice before applying.
The current listing shows recent federal obligations suggest $15,000,000 (2026). Verify award ceilings, matching requirements, and allowable costs in the official notice.
Yes — National Defense Education Program is offered by DEPT OF DEFENSE and this listing comes from SAM.gov, an official U.S. federal source. Federal applications generally require registrations (for example SAM.gov or an agency submission portal), so allow extra lead time.
Start from the official opportunity page linked in this listing — it carries the sponsor's submission instructions.
Past winners and funding trends for this program
The U.S. Department of Defense issued 37,285 awards totaling roughly $44.5 billion to 2,814 recipients from FY2021 through FY2025, with a median award of $150,000. The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences ($2.74 billion) and the Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine ($2.22 billion) led all recipients, and 58 percent of recipients won more than one separate award.
| Organization | Total awarded |
|---|---|
| National Center for Manufacturing Sciences INC(MI) | $2.7B |
| The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, INC.(MD) | $2.2B |
| Mississippi Military Department(MS) | $651.5M |
| Bioindustrial Manufacturing and Design Ecosystem(CA) | $538.3M |
| California Military Department(CA) | $525.8M |
| Colorado State University(CO) | $464.5M |
| Pennsylvania Department of Military & Veterans Affairs(PA) | $419.7M |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MA) | $396.7M |
Linked organizations have Granted profiles. Top recipients of U.S. Department of Defense assistance awards, FY2021–FY2025, ranked by total obligations (CFDA 12.x). Source: USAspending. Last verified July 2026.
Congressionally Directed Assistance is sponsored by DEPT OF DEFENSE. To implement Congressionally directed assistance for the purposes identified in the Department of Defense (“DoD”) annual appropriations act. The resulting assistance instruments support a variety of Congressional priorities. DoD awards the appropriate assistance instruments for the Congressionally identified purposes consistent with its authority, including applicable requirements for merit-based or competitive processes. This listing is currently active. Program number: 12.599. Last updated on 2026-01-20.
Uniformed Services University Medical Research Projects is sponsored by DEPT OF DEFENSE. The mission of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences is to educate, train, and comprehensively prepare uniformed services health professionals, scientists, and leaders to support the Military and Public Health Systems, the National Security and National Defense Strategies of the United States, and the readiness of our Uniformed Services. The Research Support Division is responsible for grant and cooperative agreement execution as codified in 10 USC 2358 and 10 USC 2113(g). The Division proactively leads the grants/cooperative agreements process - announcing, awarding, and administering grants/cooperative agreements - advancing the Agency’s mission to serve the University’s students, faculty, and staff. This listing is currently active. Program number: 12.750. Last updated on 2026-01-21.
Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program is sponsored by DEPT OF DEFENSE. To maintain technological superiority in the scientific areas relevant to Air Force needs; to prevent technological surprise to our nation and create it for our adversaries; to maintain a strong research infrastructure composed of Air Force laboratories, industry, and universities; and to complement the national research effort. This listing is currently active. Program number: 12.800. Last updated on 2026-01-21.
DoD Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI) is sponsored by Department of Defense (DoD) - Office of Naval Research (ONR). The Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI), administered by the Department of Defense Office of Naval Research, supports basic research in science and engineering at U. S.
SBIR SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations is sponsored by U.S. Air Force. DOD SBIR topic SF254-D1206: Knowledge-Guided Test and Evaluation Frameworks for proliferated Low Earth Orbit Constellations. Component: U.S. Air Force. Command: SDA. Solicitation: DoD SBIR 2025.4. Phase(s): D2PII, II, SPII. Status: Pre-Release. Open date: 3/4/2026.
The Defense Production Act's Title III has quietly become one of the most active federal funding vehicles of 2026 — $500M for energy infrastructure, ~$275M for critical-minerals processing, and a standing defense-manufacturing FOA. But the underlying authorities sunset September 30, 2026 absent reauthorization. Here is how DPA Title III works, who is eligible, why it differs from a normal grant, and how to move before the window closes.
Read articleTitle III of the Defense Production Act lets the Pentagon hand non-dilutive capital to companies that expand domestic production of defense-critical materials and manufacturing — through a white-paper-first pathway run by the Air Force Research Laboratory (FA8650-19-S-5010) rather than a conventional grant competition. But the core DPA authorities sunset September 30, 2026 absent reauthorization, and the standing white-paper window has moved in and out of suspension. Here is how the Title III mechanism actually works, why it rewards companies that lead with a supply-chain vulnerability, and how to position before the authority cliff.
Read articleThe Department's FY26 SBIR/STTR Release 3 opened June 24 with roughly 37 topics across DARPA, the Navy, the Air Force, and the defense components, all closing July 22. The compressed four-week window is unforgiving, but the bigger mistake founders make is treating every component the same. Here is how to read the release, the eligibility rules that disqualify good companies, and why the component you target matters more than the topic you pick.
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