Federal grants to Lowell Observatory
Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona received $12.9 million in federal grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, across 23 awards. Its largest program was Basic and Applied Scientific Research, with $5.5 million. In fiscal 2025 it was awarded $1.8 million.
From USAspending.gov award records, updated November 7, 2026.
- Grants, FY 2021 to 2025$12.9 million
- Awards23
- Awarded in FY 2025$1.8 million
- Largest award$5.5 million
By year
| Fiscal year | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| FY 2021 | 12 | $8.2 million |
| FY 2022 | 10 | $1.2 million |
| FY 2023 | 7 | $1.4 million |
| FY 2024 | 1 | $294,429 |
| FY 2025 | 7 | $1.8 million |
Programs that fund Lowell Observatory
| Program | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Basic and Applied Scientific Research | 1 | $5.5 million |
| Science | 16 | $5.2 million |
| Mathematical and Physical Sciences | 6 | $2.2 million |
Awarding agencies
| Agency | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Defense | 1 | $5.5 million |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | 16 | $5.2 million |
| National Science Foundation | 6 | $2.2 million |
Largest awards
| Award | Program | First action | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| High sensitivity observations of geostationary satellites at high spatial resolution. Pr# 72-9101-16. | Basic and Applied Scientific Research | February 9, 2021 | $5.5 million |
| The mission accessible near-earth object survey (MANOS) conducts observations to characterize the physical properties of near- earth objects (NEOS) whose orbits are readily accessible to spacecraft exploration. Through targeted observations of near | Science | September 22, 2021 | $855,646 |
| The lakes and seas of titan are composed of methane and ethane saturated with nitrogen from the atmosphere but they also contain smaller amounts of trace hydrocarbon and other species. | Science | December 1, 2020 | $666,754 |
| Collaborative research: the importance of binarity on the origin of wolf-rayet stars -this project is designed to demonstrate how high-mass stars lose their outermost layers, exposing their cores. Such objects are known as wolf-rayet (WR) stars. Most of their hydrogen is gone, and they are made up o | Mathematical and Physical Sciences | August 4, 2023 | $596,774 |
| Pluto's secret sauce: do subsurface volatile fluids shape its geology? | Science | November 5, 2024 | $586,330 |
| Turn down the noise! Disentangling planetary and stellar signals by observing the sun with expres | Science | October 31, 2022 | $573,589 |
| We will look for correlations between the jet properties and the comet's production rates to investigate how the high activity levels affect the structure and dynamics of the coma | Science | September 27, 2021 | $492,938 |
| Circumstellar disk evolution and implications for planet formation in the binary environment | Mathematical and Physical Sciences | August 3, 2021 | $486,836 |
| Comets and asteroids provide important clues about the origin and evolution of the solar system. For over 20 years lowell observatory has maintained catalogs of orbital elements for all known minor planets. These asteroid (ASTORB) and comet (COMORB) catalogs are actively curated and represent the cu | Science | October 15, 2020 | $427,139 |
| Collaborative research: tunable dual-polarization photonic ring resonator filters for oh-suppressed ground-based infrared astronomy -this project will develop novel filters called ring-resonators, imprinted on silicon wafers, to suppress the atmospheric airglow at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths whe | Mathematical and Physical Sciences | August 14, 2025 | $414,907 |
Questions people ask
How much federal grant money does Lowell Observatory get?
$12.9 million in 23 grant awards from fiscal 2021 to 2025, as obligations reported to USAspending.gov.
Which agency gives Lowell Observatory the most?
The Department of Defense, with $5.5 million in 1 award. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration and the National Science Foundation follow.
What is Lowell Observatory's largest federal grant?
$5.5 million under Basic and Applied Scientific Research, with its first action in the period on February 9, 2021. That counts only the money obligated in fiscal 2021 to 2025.
Which federal programs fund Lowell Observatory?
Its largest are Basic and Applied Scientific Research, Science and Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
Other grant recipients in Flagstaff
- Northern Arizona University
- American Conservation Experience
- Northern Arizona Council of Governments
- Coconino County
- Northern Arizona Intergovernmental Public Transportation Authority
- North Country Healthcare, Inc.
- City of Flagstaff
- Hopi Utilities Corporation
Largest federal grant recipients in Arizona · Federal grants in Arizona