FY26 martinsburg starbase

DOD Washington Headquarters Service awarded $391,242 to West Virginia Adjutant General on October 1, 2025, under the STARBASE Program (CFDA 12.020), a Congressionally directed cooperative agreement for youth STEM education and mentoring.

STARBASE 2.0 is an afterschool middle and high school mentoring initiative operated in partnership with local school districts, combining Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics activities with school-based mentoring to raise interest and improve knowledge and skills among underserved youth. The program aims to develop a highly educated and skilled American workforce capable of meeting advanced technological requirements of the Department of Defense.

The award funds operations in Martinsburg, West Virginia, from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026. West Virginia Adjutant General, as the state National Guard leadership entity, serves as the recipient and administers the program through its Adjutant General office working with local school districts on student recruitment, staffing, curriculum, facilities, and service delivery. The program is non-discretionary assistance restricted to the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and Guam National Guard entities, with each recipient developing detailed implementation plans covering school district selection procedures, student enrollment targets, staffing structure, and budget allocation prior to Congressional authorization and National Guard Bureau approval.