Global Threat Reduction

The Department of State Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation funds cooperative threat reduction programming to reduce weapons of mass destruction proliferation and terrorist acquisition threats through foreign partner capacity-building, with CFDA 19.033, most recently awarding a grant on June 2, 2023, and currently accepting applications for the 2026 CTR Non-Proliferation Programming track due March 6, 2026.

The program funds training, workshops, technical consultancies, and infrastructure support delivered to foreign governments, laboratories, private-sector entities, and scientific organizations. Recent awards illustrate the scope: CRDF Global received $8.3 million in October 2022 to organize engagements for counter-DPRK and Iran ballistic missile programs; CRDF Global received $8.9 million for engagements supporting biosecurity, emerging technology, and Iraq programming; CRDF Global received $5.2 million for small modular reactor (SMR) capacity-building; a $1.7 million Project Grant supported emigre scientist research grants and SMR workshops; and a $1.7 million Cooperative Agreement funded WMD terrorism investigation capability development for Bangladesh. Activities span nuclear security culture, chemical and biological weapons detection and response, sanctions implementation and enforcement, biosecurity standards adoption, advanced technology protection, and denial of WMD expertise to adversaries including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea.

The program is dominated by Cooperative Agreements, representing 84 percent of the 105 awards across the portfolio, with Project Grants comprising the remaining 16 percent. The Department of State Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation is the sole funding agency. Combined federal dollars obligated total $114.2 million across all awards since 2009. Award cadence shows volatility: the portfolio recorded 45 awards in 2022, seven in 2020, one each in 2018, 2021, and 2023. The most recent award closed in June 2023, over three years ago.

Multiple grant opportunities are currently open. The 2026 CTR Non-Proliferation Programming solicitation (posted January 8, 2026, due March 6, 2026) solicits Cooperative Agreements to disrupt Chinese Communist Party exploitation of U.S. intellectual property and dual-use technologies through research security and cybersecurity training, deploy secure U.S. small modular reactors to strategic regions, and enforce maximum pressure on Iran. Earlier solicitations posted in May and October 2024—due July 30 and January 17, 2025 respectively—covered chemical and biological weapons threat countering, Iran and DPRK sanctions enforcement, Russia sanctions evasion disruption, advanced conventional weapons proliferation countering, biosecurity engagement, semiconductor and technology protection, and nonproliferation scientist engagement in displaced or vulnerable populations.