Mount Washington Observatory

Mount Washington Observatory, a tax-exempt nonprofit organization based in North Conway, New Hampshire, operates as a federal grant recipient and occasional contract performer, delivering atmospheric science research infrastructure, environmental monitoring services, and STEM education programming to civilian agencies. The organization holds no standing contract vehicles and does not compete under set-asides; its federal footprint consists of direct grants and cooperative agreements with NOAA, NASA, and the Army Corps of Engineers, supplemented by infrequent sub-recipient roles under university-managed grants.

Mount Washington Observatory serves six federal agencies, with customer concentration heavily tilted toward NOAA. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration accounts for 11 of the 23 prime awards (73% coverage by award count) and $2.2 million of the $2.7 million combined potential value across all recent work. NASA's Shared Services Center holds seven awards worth $243 thousand (mostly the recent NASA Office of STEM Engagement cooperative agreement), and the Army Corps of Engineers accounts for one contract. The Observatory also appears as a sub-recipient under two University System of New Hampshire grants, one University of Vermont sub-award, and one Gulf of Maine Research Institute sub-award, typically performing K-12 science education program development and coordinating with regional research networks. The top-customer rankings by award count and potential value track closely, with NOAA anchoring both metrics.

The Observatory's recent capability work centers on mountaintop environmental monitoring and atmospheric science education. A $1.538 million NOAA project grant (CFDA 11.469) awarded October 2024 and completing October 2027 funds upgrades to the Mount Washington Regional Mesonet network of 19 automated weather stations, acquisition of a 3D scanning Doppler wind lidar and snowcat, software development for data quality control, and construction of a broadcasting studio and web-based data portal — work supporting research access and public climate data dissemination. A $243 thousand NASA cooperative agreement (cooperative agreement type, September 2025, completing August 2028) through the Office of STEM Engagement funds educational programming and regional mesonet upgrades to deliver hands-on atmospheric science and environmental monitoring experiences to K-12 students. A $105,916 Army Corps of Engineers purchase order (June 2026, completing June 2030) under FAR 12.102(a) commercial authority provides meteorological station data at the highest sampling rate, monthly summary reports, field support, and site access coordination for CREEL personnel conducting sensor deployment testing at the summit. Across SCI-reportable prime contracts, the Observatory logged $208 thousand in invoiced revenue during FY2023 against 0.8 FTEs, with government-paid rates at $120.26 per hour; SCI coverage is sparse because most work falls below the $150,000 reporting threshold or is structured as grants rather than billable service contracts.

Activity in the source data shows recent acceleration: one award in 2021, five in 2024, three in 2025, and three in 2026 (the most recent sub-award dated September 23, 2026). Two awards (combined potential value $243 thousand) face ultimate completion within the next twenty-four months and represent recompete or renewal opportunity. The Observatory does not operate as a primary subcontractor across federal contractors' supply chains; its sub-recipient appearances are rooted in university-managed grant programs rather than prime-contractor relationships, and it maintains its own direct federal relationships as a specialized research facility rather than a feeder vendor to larger primes.