# National Defense Education Program (12.006)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/programs/12-006-national-defense-education-program/  
Publisher: Well Told Grants. Data: USAspending.gov and Grants.gov, updated November 7, 2026.

National Defense Education Program is run by Department of Defense. From fiscal 2021 to 2025 it awarded $158 million in 39 grants, about $4.1 million per award.

## Objectives

To obtain support or partner with like-minded organizations in the management, development, implementation, research/evaluation, and furthering of new and existing partnerships between the Department of Defense and its National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education and outreach activities, and other educational outreach efforts, as well as STEM workforce development initiatives across the PreK through College continuum, to include skilled trades and advanced manufacturing that do not require four-year degrees . The scope will cover all 50 states, U.S. territories, and DoDEA schools.

## Funding by fiscal year

| Year | Amount | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $45.9 million | 16 |
| 2022 | $27.1 million | 9 |
| 2023 | $55.2 million | 16 |
| 2024 | $11.3 million | 4 |
| 2025 | $18.7 million | 2 |

## Largest recipients

| Recipient | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Research Triangle Institute | North Carolina | $35.3 million |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Massachusetts | $12.0 million |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | Texas | $9.3 million |
| Barry Goldwater Scholarship | Virginia | $9.0 million |
| Kansas State University | Kansas | $6.7 million |
| Board of School Commissioners of Mobile County | Alabama | $6.0 million |
| Monroe Community College | New York | $5.2 million |
| Alamo Community College District | Texas | $5.0 million |
| Lorain County Community College District | Ohio | $5.0 million |
| Iup Research Institute | Pennsylvania | $5.0 million |
| Oklahoma State University | Oklahoma | $5.0 million |
| Arizona State University | Arizona | $4.7 million |
| Innovative Engineering Consortium, Inc. | Illinois | $3.7 million |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | Virginia | $3.5 million |
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Colorado | $3.2 million |
| Trustees of Indiana University | Indiana | $3.0 million |
| Board of Trustees of Community College District No. 508 | Illinois | $3.0 million |
| University of Connecticut Health Center | Connecticut | $3.0 million |
| University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher Education | Pennsylvania | $3.0 million |
| The Coding School | California | $3.0 million |

## Open opportunities

- [NDEP STEM Open NFO](https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/hq003423nfoeasd01-ndep-stem-open-nfo/), closes February 8, 2028