University City Science Center

University City Science Center, doing business as NON Profit Economic Development, is a Philadelphia-based tax-exempt nonprofit that receives federal funding as a prime recipient for STEM workforce development, technology commercialization, and regional economic development initiatives — entirely grant-funded, with no federal contract prime work except a single recent $991,136 definitive contract with the Small Business Administration's Office of Investment and Innovation awarded September 30, 2026.

The organization specializes in designing and delivering hands-on STEM education programs, paid internship pathways, entrepreneurial training, and commercialization support services targeting underserved K-12 and graduate-level populations, with particular focus on students from low-income backgrounds and those with limited prior exposure to science and technology. Its capability portfolio spans STEM workforce pipeline development, cybersecurity education, biotech and life sciences commercialization, aging-focused technology entrepreneurship, and regional cluster management. Recent representative work includes a $4.45 million Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Education Innovation and Research grant (CFDA 84.411) from December 2021 through December 2026 supporting hands-on STEM programs for low-income middle school students of color in Philadelphia; a $599,334 Office of Naval Research STEM Education, Outreach and Workforce Program grant (CFDA 12.330) awarded December 1, 2025, through November 30, 2028, for the POSEIDON initiative to build the naval and defense workforce pipeline through K-12 and Navy personnel engagement; a $301,818 National Institute of Standards and Technology Science, Technology, Business and Education Outreach cooperative agreement (CFDA 11.620) running October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2027, delivering the CYBERFORGE Philadelphia employer-led cybersecurity workforce development program for 64 Philadelphia high school students; and the $991,136 SBA contract for establishing a Regional Innovation Cluster focused on a designated priority industry at the county level, running through September 29, 2028.

Customer concentration spans twelve federal agencies. The Department of Commerce's Economic Development Administration leads by award count (six awards), followed by the National Institutes of Health (four awards), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (three awards), and the Office of Naval Research (two awards) — these five agencies account for 70% of the award count. The SBA's recent $991,136 contract represents nearly all of the combined potential value in the portfolio. Historical obligation data ($21.5 million) significantly exceeds listed potential value ($995,000), indicating the organization operates primarily on multi-year cooperative agreements and project grants with annual disbursements rather than on fixed-price contracts with a single ceiling. Three awards are scheduled to reach ultimate completion inside the next twenty-four months, including the recently awarded SBA contract expiring September 29, 2028. University City Science Center holds no parent IDIQ, GWAC, or BPA positions and operates exclusively as a prime recipient; it does not subcontract on federal work.