Division of Polar Programs

The National Science Foundation Division of Polar Programs, a civilian sub-agency within NSF, funds research and operational support in polar science, environmental monitoring, and Arctic and Antarctic logistics. The Division operates across both contracts for specialized transportation and field support and grants for academic research in polar regions.

The Division has issued 109 federal contracts with combined potential value of $4.36 billion and combined dollars obligated of $4.14 billion since 2004. Recent contract activity has declined: 7 awards in 2022, 7 in 2023, 3 in 2024, 3 in 2025, and 3 year-to-date in 2026. The most recent award closed on September 15, 2026. The Division contracts primarily with specialized aviation and logistics providers; competitive concentration is highly fragmented among award count, with the top five primes capturing 87 percent of recent awards but only 2 percent of combined potential value by dollars. Kenn Borek Air LTD leads by count with 9 awards and $28.6 million combined potential value, followed by Pathfinder Aviation LLC and Air Center Helicopters, Inc., each with 4 awards. Across the 109 total awards, 59 distinct prime contractors have been engaged. The contract portfolio is predominantly unrestricted competition: 74 percent of awards carry no set-aside, 13 percent are 8(a) Sole Source, 11 percent are small-business set-asides, and 1 percent is HUBZone.

The Division has awarded 1,328 grants totaling $782.1 million in federal obligated dollars since 2000. Grant activity has moderated over the last five years: 148 awards in 2023, 119 in 2024, 101 in 2025, 74 in 2026, and 3 year-to-date in 2027. The most recently recorded award date is June 1, 2027. Grant recipients are moderately concentrated: the top five recipients by award count account for 25 percent of recent awards, while by federal dollars the top five hold 13 percent. University of Washington leads by award count with 41 grants ($19 million federal dollars), University of Alaska Fairbanks holds the top spot by federal dollars with 34 awards ($28.7 million), and the University of Colorado, Oregon State University, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution round out the top tier. Across the portfolio, 245 distinct recipients have received funding. Grant awards are predominantly Project Grants (99 percent) with a minimal share of Cooperative Agreements.

No representative recent contract or grant opportunities are recorded in the source data, so current solicitation status is not available for evaluation.