United States Space Foundation

United States Space Foundation, a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit organization doing business as Space Foundation, provides booth rental, exhibit graphics, and conference space services to federal agencies as a prime contractor — primarily through purchase orders for the Space Symposium, the foundation's flagship annual space industry event. All recent federal contracting work is full-and-open competition with no set-aside designations; the foundation competes on the open market for event services rather than as a designated small business.

Space Foundation's federal contracting footprint is narrowly specialized in event logistics. Recent representative work includes a $26 thousand firm fixed-price purchase order from the Office of Naval Research for Space Symposium 2026 booth rental (March 2026), a $26 thousand purchase order from NOAA for exhibit booth rental with an amendment deobligating unused funds (September 2023, reduced to $14 thousand), and a $13 thousand purchase order from the Air Education and Training Command for 39th Space Symposium booth space (April 2024). The foundation also delivers exhibit rental graphics packages — a $18.975 thousand order from ONR for National Security Space program exhibit support (January 2024). All contracts are purchase orders with firm fixed-price terms and no subcontractor involvement; the foundation acts as the prime and owns the delivery entirely.

Customer concentration sits with the Office of Naval Research, which accounts for 22 awards (roughly $386 thousand combined potential value) out of 101 total awards and represents 50% of award count concentration. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (9 awards, $183 thousand) and the Air Education and Training Command (8 awards, $69 thousand) are secondary event customers. Across the top five customers by award count, the top five by dollar value track closely — the Office of Naval Research dominates both rankings. The portfolio spans 26 distinct customer agencies, but the concentration in booth rental and symposium services means most awards cluster with defense and civilian agencies sending representatives to Space Symposium.

Space Foundation also acts as a prime recipient of federal grants focused on space education and STEM outreach. Grant work includes a National Defense Education Program award from the Office of the Secretary of Defense for "Innovative Space, STEM and Entrepreneurship Inspired Learning" through June 2025, a Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs project grant for equipping Emirati high school teachers to build space curriculum (completed January 2024), and an Institute of Museum and Library Services grant supporting an early literacy program in partnership with the Pikes Peak Library District (completed August 2022). The foundation subcontracts on NASA grants — a University of Colorado-led Colorado Space Grant subaward in which Space Foundation provides Space Across the Curriculum teacher professional development (June 2024), with prior sub-grant work dating to 2021.

Activity has remained relatively flat, averaging roughly five awards per year across 2021–2024 with only one award recorded in 2026. The combined potential value across all 101 awards is $2.1 million, though obligated dollars across the portfolio total $4.5 million, indicating significant completion on older contract line items. Award categories cluster in Lessors of Nonresidential Buildings (38 awards), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (18 awards), and Lease/Rental of Conference Space and Facilities (20 awards under PSC), reflecting the core booth-and-space-rental business model. The foundation holds no parent vehicles, IDIQs, or GWACs; all federal work flows through individual purchase orders and direct grants rather than through standing contracting infrastructure.