Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (12.800)
Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (Assistance Listing 12.800) is run by the Department of the Air Force, part of the Department of Defense. It awarded $3.7 billion in 3,902 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $943,430 per award on average. 18 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.
The typical award was $300,000. Half of the 3,902 awards fell between $150,000 and $532,580, and they ranged from $1,765 to $539 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$3.7 billion
- Grant awards3,902
- Typical award$300,000
- Awarded in FY 2025$573 million
- Size rank112 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceProject grants (cooperative agreements)
Key findings
- Annual funding was roughly flat, $562 million in fiscal 2021 and $573 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 112th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 55% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 48 states and territories.
What the program funds
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.
Open and forecast opportunities
- Air Force Fiscal Year 2027 Young Investigator Program (YIP)
- AFRL/AFOSR-Taiwan NSTC Frontiers in Materials and Nanostructures: AI-Driven Discovery, Quantum Geometry, and Energy-Efficient Information Technologies 2027-2030
- AFRL/AFOSR Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 University Center for High-Speed Aerothermoelasticity
- Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 Department of War (DoW) Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI)
- US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Indo-Pacific Fundamental Research Collaboration Opportunities
- CHEERS Open Period 1 - All Technical Areas
- CHEERS Open Period 2 - All Technical Areas
- FOUNDATIONS OF TRUSTED SYSTEMS
- Coordinating Austere Nodes through Virtualization and Analysis of Streams (CANVAS)
- Research and Development (RAD) Directed Energy (RD) University Assistance Instruments
- Air Force Basic Research Sciences Conference and Workshop Support
- Automated Processes for Knowledge Discovery and Information Retrieval
- Pioneering Aerospace Capabilities, Engineering and Research (PACER)
- Continuing Human Enabling Enhancing Restoring and Sustaining
- Research Interests of the United States Air Force Academy (formerly USAFA-BAA-2021)
- Research Interests of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- STARBASE Wright Patt
- DIRECTED ENERGY TECHNOLOGY EXPERIMENTATION RESEARCH ADVANCED RESEARCH ANNOUCEMENT (DETER ARA)
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Private/public educational institutions; other private/public nonprofit organizations which are operated primarily for scientific, educational, or similar purposes in the public interest, and commercial concerns.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Basic research, applied research, advanced research, and development projects that are necessary to the responsibilities of the United States Air Force in the field of research and development; and, either relate to weapon systems and other military needs; or are of potential interest to the Air Force. Funds must be expended in a manner consistent with the statute and its aforementioned purpose.
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
The range for Federal Assistance is $3,000 to $332,089,923 Approximate Average Award Size: $941,199
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program (12.800) awarded $3.7 billion across 3,902 grant awards, an average of $943,430 per award.
Who usually wins
Colleges and universities received 59% of the money, nonprofits 37% and businesses 3.1%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colleges and universities | 3,304 | $2.2 billion | 59% |
| Nonprofits | 436 | $1.4 billion | 37% |
| Businesses | 53 | $115 million | 3.1% |
| Small businesses | 43 | $27.9 million | 0.8% |
| Other | 63 | $12.3 million | 0.3% |
| State and local governments | 3 | $154,733 | 0% |
By state
44 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 482 | $1.1 billion |
| Pennsylvania | 151 | $420 million |
| New York | 219 | $298 million |
| Massachusetts | 208 | $152 million |
| Ohio | 116 | $148 million |
| Colorado | 137 | $145 million |
| Texas | 186 | $131 million |
| Maryland | 146 | $123 million |
| Illinois | 160 | $105 million |
| Florida | 125 | $90.9 million |
| Indiana | 96 | $70.5 million |
| Michigan | 106 | $62.7 million |
| Georgia | 77 | $53.1 million |
| New Mexico | 36 | $50.7 million |
| South Carolina | 47 | $47.9 million |
| Arizona | 77 | $37.4 million |
| North Carolina | 59 | $35.7 million |
| New Jersey | 62 | $33.6 million |
| Montana | 5 | $33.1 million |
| Tennessee | 24 | $33.0 million |
| Missouri | 21 | $32.9 million |
| Washington | 43 | $30.5 million |
| Virginia | 62 | $24.4 million |
| Delaware | 14 | $21.5 million |
| Connecticut | 38 | $19.6 million |
| Oregon | 5 | $19.4 million |
| Rhode Island | 28 | $16.4 million |
| Minnesota | 30 | $15.2 million |
| Alabama | 20 | $14.3 million |
| Wisconsin | 21 | $12.1 million |
| District of Columbia | 32 | $11.5 million |
| Arkansas | 6 | $11.3 million |
| Utah | 16 | $8.6 million |
| Kentucky | 4 | $7.6 million |
| New Hampshire | 16 | $7.0 million |
| Iowa | 18 | $6.6 million |
| Oklahoma | 12 | $5.2 million |
| Hawaii | 9 | $4.6 million |
| Kansas | 14 | $4.1 million |
| Nevada | 6 | $3.6 million |
| Louisiana | 7 | $2.9 million |
| Nebraska | 7 | $2.8 million |
| Mississippi | 8 | $2.2 million |
| Idaho | 3 | $1.9 million |
| Puerto Rico | 4 | $943,182 |
| West Virginia | 3 | $785,279 |
| North Dakota | 2 | $575,899 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $526,513 |