National Defense Education Program (NDEP) for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education, Outreach, and Workforce Initiative Programs, Fiscal Year 2020

Agency: Department of Defense

12.006 -- National Defense Education Program

Closed opportunityLast Updated: May 13, 2026

Description

The Department of Defense (DoD) seeks innovative applications on mechanisms to implement Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, outreach, and/or workforce initiative programs, here onto will be referred as STEM activities. The Department intends to award multiple grants, subject to the availability of funds. Each individual award will be up to a maximum of $3,000,000, for a period of up to three (3) years. Applications for larger amounts may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Federal STEM Strategy states, “The pace of innovation is accelerating globally, and with it the competition for scientific and technical talent. Now more than ever the innovation capacity of the United States—and its prosperity and security—depends on an effective and inclusive STEM education ecosystem”. In addition, the National Defense Strategy has called for the Department of Defense to make significant investments in science and technology modernization priority areas to meet key capability and capacity needs. DoD is the largest employer of scientists and engineers in the United States. Therefore, the Department must maintain a robust pipeline of STEM talent by investing in pre-kindergarten through undergraduate STEM activities to ensure the DoD has enduring access to the best and brightest talent. The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) enables the DoD to cultivate and access high-quality STEM personnel vital to national defense now and in the future. This solicitation seeks innovative approaches to support DoD STEM education, outreach, and workforce development that aligns with DoD and Federal STEM Strategic Plans.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

Other

Additional information

All responsible sources from industry, non-profit institutions, institutions of higher education, state and local government, or consortia of such institutions or industry may submit applications papers under this FOA. Foreign entities will not be considered.Current and past awardees from this initiative, or previous versions of this initiative, are eligible to receive awards under this FOA.Individuals are not eligible to receive awards under this FOA.Defense laboratories, military universities, and warfare centers, as well as other Department of Defense and civilian agency laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this FOA and must not submit applications in response to this FOA. If any such organization is interested in the program described herein, the organization may contact DoD STEM at osd.dodstem@mail.mil, to discuss potential projects. The subject line of the email shall read “HQ0034-20-S-FO01 Potential Project Inquiry.” As with FFRDCs, these types of Federal organizations may team with eligible applicants that are submitting applications under this FOA.Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs), including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this FOA. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal applicants are allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC.University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit applications under this FOA unless precluded from doing so by their Department of Defense UARC contract.To prevent the bias and unfair competitive advantage resulting from conflicting rules, Applicants must identify in their application any organizational conflict of interests (OCI) which may exist. If an Applicant has an actual or potential OCI, their application must identify the OCI and the mitigation plan to address it. Silence on this topic in an application will be understood to mean there is no OCI with the Applicant.

Grantor contact information

Description

CHRISSANDRA SMITH

Email

Grants Officer

chrissandra.smith.civ@mail.mil

Documents

File name	Description	Last updated
DoD_Funding_Opportunity_Announcement_Instructions_for_STEM_FOA_AMD2_20200212.pdf	Amendment 02 - FOA Instructions Updated	Feb 13, 2020 12:45 PM UTC
NDEP_FOA_Questions_FINAL_20200131.pdf	Q&A - Answers	Feb 3, 2020 01:47 PM UTC
Attachment_1_Workplan_STEM_FOA_Dec2019.docx	Work Plan Template - MS Word Format	Dec 26, 2019 07:58 PM UTC
DoD_Funding_Opportunity_Announcement_Instructions_for_STEM_FOA_Dec2019.pdf	FOA Announcement and Instructions	Dec 26, 2019 07:57 PM UTC
DoD_STEM_Strategic_Plan_2015_1022_final.pdf	DoD STEM Strategic Plan	Feb 3, 2020 01:47 PM UTC
DoD_Funding_Opportunity_Announcement_Instructions_for_STEM_FOA_AMD1_20200131.pdf	Amendment 01 - FOA Instructions Updated	Feb 3, 2020 01:46 PM UTC

Link to additional information

Closed: February 28, 2020

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates.

Award

$--

Program Funding

Expected awards

$1,000,000

Award Minimum

$3,000,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

HQ0034-20-S-FO01

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

Funding instrument type:

Grant

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

Category of Funding Activity:

Education

Science technology and other research and development

Category Explanation:

History

Version:

Posted date:

December 27, 2019

Archive date: