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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.
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.
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