Funder: Office of Naval Research
Due Dates: April 11, 2025 (White Papers) | August 29, 2025 (Invited Proposals)
Funding Amounts: Up to $600,000 per award (typically $200,000/year for 3 years); ~8 awards anticipated
Summary: Supports programs that enhance STEM education and workforce development relevant to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps, focusing on learners, educators, and institutional capacity.
Key Information: White papers are mandatory; full proposals are by invitation only.
Description
This opportunity from the Office of Naval Research (ONR) funds projects that develop, enhance, or sustain educational pathways and workforce opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields relevant to the Department of the Navy (DoN). The program aims to maintain a world-class STEM workforce to support the technological superiority of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Supported activities may include formal and informal education, workforce development, educator training, and institutional capacity-building, with a strong emphasis on naval relevance.
Projects may target:
- Developing learners’ knowledge, skills, or interest in STEM
- Attracting students to pursue STEM certifications, degrees, or careers
- Providing growth and research opportunities for post-secondary and graduate students (if primarily educational and not expected to generate intellectual property)
- Improving the quality of STEM educators (K-12, post-secondary, informal)
- Expanding institutional capacity to promote STEM fields
Pure research projects are not eligible unless their primary purpose is educational and they are not expected to generate intellectual property.
Due Dates
- White Papers (mandatory): April 11, 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern
- Invited Full Proposals: August 29, 2025, 5:00 PM Eastern
Applicants must submit a white paper to be considered for invitation to submit a full proposal.
Funding Amount
- Award Ceiling: $600,000 total per award (typically $200,000/year for up to 3 years)
- Award Floor: $50,000
- Anticipated Number of Awards: ~8
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $1,300,000
- Cost Sharing: Not required or expected
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants:
- U.S.-based academic institutions, non-profits, and for-profit organizations
- University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) unless precluded by DoD contract
- Teaming with Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs) is allowed if permitted, but FFRDCs themselves cannot receive awards
- Ineligible Applicants:
- Foreign entities
- Navy labs, military universities, warfare centers, other DoD/civilian agency labs
- No limit on the number of applications per organization
- Note: Disclosures of current and pending support are required and may affect eligibility
Application Process
-
White Paper Submission (Mandatory)
- Submit via FedConnect
- White paper format: 4 pages max (plus cover and references), Times New Roman 12pt, single-spaced, 1-inch margins
- Must include: cover page, technical approach, naval relevance, partnerships (if any), management approach, evaluation metrics, and rough order of magnitude budget
- Confirmation of receipt will be sent by ONR; applicants must follow up if not received
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Full Proposal (By Invitation Only)
- Only applicants with successful white papers will be invited
- Submit via Grants.gov
- Technical proposal: up to 25 pages (plus required attachments)
- Detailed instructions and required forms are provided in the NOFO PDF
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Registration Requirements
- All applicants must be registered in SAM.gov and have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
- FedConnect and Grants.gov registration required for submission
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Review Process
- Proposals are evaluated on alignment with DoN mission/naval relevance, scientific and technical merit, and program viability/sustainability
- Cost realism and reasonableness are also considered
Additional Information
- White papers are required for all applicants; proposals submitted without invitation will not be reviewed.
- Projects must demonstrate clear naval relevance and potential impact on the Navy/Marine Corps STEM workforce.
- Programs focused solely on general national STEM performance (especially P/K-9) are encouraged to seek funding from other federal agencies (e.g., Department of Education, NSF, Smithsonian).
- For projects involving human subjects, animals, or biohazards, additional compliance documentation is required.
- Reporting requirements include quarterly technical, monthly financial, annual performance, and final reports.
External Links
Contact Information
For questions about white paper submission, contact the technical POC; for proposal/grant submission, contact the grants officer. Do not use the FedConnect message center for questions or submissions.