Programs › 12.006
Assistance listing · 12.006
National Defense Education Program
Federal financial assistance obligated under listing 12.006, the organisations that receive it and where it goes.
USAspending caveat. Figures are obligations reported by federal agencies to USAspending.gov, not payments. In USAspending's words: "An outlay occurs when federal money is actually paid out, not just promised to be paid ('obligated')." "Every agency has a Senior Accountable Official who must officially certify that the quarterly financial data submitted by their agency is accurate and complete." "If there are any discrepancies in procurement data, FPDS is the authoritative source." Contract data for the Department of Defense and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is published with a 90-day delay. Data loaded 30 Sep 2026.
Federal agencies obligated $44M in awards under assistance listing 12.006, National Defense Education Program, in FY2026, and $130M over the five fiscal years since FY2023; the program ranks 694 of 988 on this site.
Obligations were up 138% on FY2025 ($19M), with $0 so far in FY2027.
The largest recipient organisations by the value of $1.0M-plus awards since FY2023 were Research Triangle Institute ($48M), The University of Texas at El Paso ($19M) and President and Fellows of Harvard College ($6.0M).
By place of performance, the most money went to NC, MA and MT.
Obligations by fiscal year
Compared with the largest program FY2026
| Measure | This program | Grants to States for Medicaid | All assistance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obligations, FY2026 | $44M | $722B | $4.4T |
| Five-year total | $130M | $2.6T | $17T |
| Share of all assistance obligations, five years | 0% | 15.2% | 100% |
Largest recipients $1.0M+ award value since FY2023
| # | Organisation | Awards | Award value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research Triangle Institute | 1 | $48M |
| 2 | The University of Texas at El Paso | 1 | $19M |
| 3 | President and Fellows of Harvard College | 1 | $6.0M |
| 4 | Monroe Community College | 1 | $5.2M |
| 5 | Kansas State University | 1 | $4.0M |
| 6 | Arizona State University | 1 | $3.5M |
| 7 | The Coding School | 1 | $3.5M |
| 8 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | 1 | $3.5M |
| 9 | Connected DMV | 1 | $3.5M |
| 10 | Spark Photonics Foundation, Inc. | 2 | $3.4M |
| 11 | Trustees of Indiana University | 1 | $3.0M |
| 12 | University of Montana | 1 | $2.5M |
| 13 | The Johns Hopkins University | 1 | $2.1M |
| 14 | STEM in Action | 1 | $2.0M |
Awarding agencies $1.0M+ awards
Where the money goes
Largest awards since FY2023
| Recipient | Awarding agency | Type | Award value | Begun | Place | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Triangle Institute | Department of DefenseDepartment of the Army | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $48M | 2 Aug 2024 | NC | USAspending |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantCooperative Agreement (B) | $19M | 16 Oct 2024 | — | USAspending |
| Recipient not shown | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $9.0M | 6 Sep 2023 | — | USAspending |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $6.0M | 20 Sep 2023 | MA | USAspending |
| Monroe Community College | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $5.2M | 20 Sep 2023 | NY | USAspending |
| Kansas State University | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $4.0M | 8 Sep 2023 | KS | USAspending |
| Arizona State University | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $3.5M | 19 Sep 2023 | — | USAspending |
| The Coding School | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $3.5M | 14 Sep 2026 | CA | USAspending |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantBlock Grant (a) | $3.5M | 18 Sep 2023 | VA | USAspending |
| Connected DMV | Department of DefenseWashington Headquarters Services | GrantProject Grant (B) | $3.5M | 14 Sep 2026 | — | USAspending |
Other programs numbered 12.xxx
- 12.401 National Guard Military Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Projects $9.7B
- 12.420 Military Medical Research and Development $4.9B
- 12.800 Air Force Defense Research Sciences Program $3.8B
- 12.300 Basic and Applied Scientific Research $3.2B
- 12.431 Basic Scientific Research $2.2B
- 12.910 Research and Technology Development $2.0B
- 12.630 Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering $1.6B
- 12.777 Defense Production Act Title III (DPA Title III) $1.5B
- 12.750 Uniformed Services University Medical Research Projects $1.5B
- 12.400 Military Construction, National Guard $1.5B
- 12.600 Community Investment $1.0B
- 12.404 National Guard ChalleNGe Program $732M
- 12.599 Congressionally Directed Assistance $512M
- 12.005 Conservation and Rehabilitation of Natural Resources on Military Installations $471M
- 12.113 State Memorandum of Agreement Program for the Reimbursement of Technical Services $262M
- 12.556 Competitive Grants: Promoting K-12 Student Achievement at Military-Connected Schools $261M
- 12.002 Procurement Technical Assistance For Business Firms $207M
- 12.350 Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program $187M
- 12.027 Defense Community Infrastructure Program $170M
- 12.351 Scientific Research - Combating Weapons of Mass Destruction $149M
- 12.610 Community Economic Adjustment Assistance for Compatible Use and Joint Land Use Studies $130M
- 12.330 Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM) Education, Outreach and Workforce Program $119M
- 12.017 Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration (REPI) Program $118M
- 12.020 STARBASE Program $87M
Questions and answers
How much is obligated under assistance listing 12.006?
$44M in FY2026 and $130M over the five fiscal years since FY2023, counting every award type recorded under the listing (grants, direct payments, loan subsidy cost, insurance and other assistance). Obligations are commitments, not payments.
Who receives the most under National Defense Education Program?
Research Triangle Institute ($48M), The University of Texas at El Paso ($19M), President and Fellows of Harvard College ($6.0M), Monroe Community College ($5.2M), Kansas State University ($4.0M). Individuals are never listed; where a program pays individuals, USAspending records aggregated rows that appear here as "not shown".
What is an assistance listing (CFDA) number?
A five-digit number that identifies a federal financial assistance program on SAM.gov (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance). Every grant, loan, direct payment or other assistance award on USAspending carries one; contracts do not.
Provenance
Source: USAspending.gov API v2, spending by category (assistance listing) by fiscal year, recipient cross-tabulation for FY2022–FY2025 and award search, loaded 30 Sep 2026. State figures come from each state's top-100 listing table, so small amounts in a state may be missing. See methodology.