Chapman University

Chapman University, a private non-profit educational institution headquartered in Orange, California, operates as a federal grant recipient and performs research and educational services across earth sciences, life sciences, STEM education, and health-related fields. The university does not hold federal prime contracts but serves as a prime recipient on 319 federal grants and sub-recipient on 69 grant awards, concentrating its federal engagement almost entirely in research and educational grant programs rather than contract work.

Chapman's customer footprint spans 70 federal agencies, but concentration is sharp. The National Science Foundation leads by award count (48 awards), followed by the Department of the Navy (44 awards) and NASA's Shared Services Center (31 awards carrying $3.3 million combined potential value). The Department of Agriculture (30 awards), the Internal Revenue Service (24 awards), and NASA Goddard Space Center (5 awards, $633 thousand) round out the active set. NASA Shared Services Center dominates potential-value concentration at $3.3 million—representing earth science research in satellite data integration, climate observation, and environmental monitoring—while NSF and Navy awards span STEM education, basic research in physics and chemistry, and workforce development initiatives.

Chapman's capability portfolio centers on research and educational delivery across seven primary themes: earth systems science and data integration (NASA ECOSTRESS and SMAP satellite data analysis, participatory GIS for environmental justice, wildfire response data systems); biomedical research (melanoma drug development, thyroid hormone signaling, inflammatory bowel disease mechanisms, Alzheimer's therapeutics); marine and environmental biology (hagfish slime biomaterials, blue carbon ecosystem carbon cycling, tropical forest greenhouse gas emissions); STEM education and workforce pipeline development (undergraduate research fellowships in earth and environmental sciences, responsible AI ethics in engineering, summer research programs for underrepresented students in food science); assistive technology and accessibility (refreshable braille displays for blind and visually impaired students, ADHD assessment systems); and mathematics and pedagogy research (quantitative reasoning in biology labs, anti-bias mathematics teaching models). Representative recent awards include a $649.6 thousand National Cancer Institute grant (TRAQ-TO-QUIT smoking cessation intervention using IoT air-quality monitoring), a $1.038 million National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases grant on thyroid hormone signaling in novel genetic mouse models, a $2.2 million Department of Education grant on earth observations for sustainable development goals, and an $1 million NSF Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education award for the Earth Systems Science and Data Solutions Lab.

Activity has accelerated year over year—24 awards in 2022 to 53 in 2024—though 2025 shows a moderation to 31 awards and 2026 (through June) carries only 7 awards, reflecting the snapshot date. Twenty-five awards (combined potential value $819 thousand) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months, representing moderate recompete exposure centered on NSF and Navy research initiatives. Chapman's sub-recipient work clusters on collaborative research with University of California institutions (particularly UCI and UCLA), University of Rochester, University of Nebraska, and Fresno State, with Chapman typically providing specialized research execution, data analysis, or student recruitment and training support. The university acts as sub-grantee on biomedical research with Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope (KSHV glycoprotein studies), computational and quantum research with UC Berkeley and University of Rochester, and dairy innovation assessments through Fresno Foundation partnerships. No federal contract vehicles or parent IDIQs are listed; Chapman's footprint is entirely grant-driven, concentrating on NSF research directorates (Earth Sciences, Biological Sciences, Division of Undergraduate Education), NIH institutes (National Cancer Institute, NIDDK, NINDS, NHLBI), and education-focused programs (Department of Education FIPSE, NSF STEM Education). Chapman does not pursue set-aside categories, SBA designations, or small-business contracting; all awards are full-and-open competitive or collaborative research grants within the academic research enterprise.