Division of Undergraduate Education

The National Science Foundation Division of Undergraduate Education, a civilian sub-agency within the NSF, administers federal grants to support innovation in undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics instruction and educational infrastructure. The Division awards grant funding to colleges, universities, and educational organizations to strengthen STEM learning, curriculum development, faculty training, and student access to advanced educational resources.

The Division's grant program dominates its transactional portfolio. Over the last five years, the Division obligated $2.66 billion in federal grant funding across 3,526 total awards since 2002, with annual cadence of 359 awards in 2023, 486 in 2024, 379 in 2025, 342 in 2026, and 13 so far in 2027. Grant recipients are highly fragmented: the top five recipients by award count—North Carolina State University, Rochester Institute of Technology, The Regents of the University of Colorado, Purdue University, and University of Wisconsin System—account for only 5 percent of recent awards. By federal dollars, University of Wisconsin System leads with $23.1 million across 19 awards, followed by The Pennsylvania State University at $19.7 million across 18 awards, but the top five recipients still represent only 3 percent of combined federal dollars obligated. Nearly all awards are Project Grants (3,511 awards); Cooperative Agreements represent a nominal share.

Contract activity at the Division is minimal and sporadic. The Division has issued 83 total contract awards since 2005, with combined potential value of $34 million and $24.2 million obligated. Recent award cadence shows 6 awards in 2017, 1 in 2018, 1 in 2020, 2 in 2023, and 2 in 2024, with the most recent award dated June 4, 2024. Among the four awards issued over the last five years, Whitworthkee Consulting, LLC holds 2 awards worth $3.9 million combined potential value; Red Carrot Inc. and National Society of Black Engineers each hold 1 award. The competitive base is highly fragmented, with only 29 distinct prime contractors across the portfolio history. The vast majority of awards (69 percent) carry no set-aside designation; 8(a) Sole Source awards comprise 23 percent, and small-business set-asides account for 8 percent. No recent contract opportunities are recorded.