Federal department or agency

National Science Foundation

National Science Foundation obligated $603.1M on federal contracts in FY2026 across 746 contract actions (−15% vs FY2025). Its largest recipient was LEIDOS, INC. ($242.7M). It also awarded $5.9B in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$603.1M
Actions
746
New awards: 175
Sole-source
9.5%
Small business
21%
Open in the contracts explorerFederal contracts

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 462MFY2017
  2. 466.2MFY2018
  3. 506.2MFY2019
  4. 503.3MFY2020
  5. 498.1MFY2021
  6. 577.5MFY2022
  7. 631.1MFY2023
  8. 775.7MFY2024
  9. 711MFY2025
  10. 603.1MFY2026

Sub-agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. National Science Foundation$603.1M100%

Top recipients

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. LEIDOS, INC.$242.7M40%
  2. BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC$53.9M8.9%
  3. BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE$48.1M8.0%
  4. DIRECTVIZ SOLUTIONS, LLC$20.5M3.4%
  5. BY LIGHT PROFESSIONAL IT SERVICES LLC$16.4M2.7%
  6. THORNTON TOMASETTI, INC.$13.7M2.3%
  7. SYNECTICS FOR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, INC.$13.5M2.2%
  8. NEW TECH SOLUTIONS, INC.$13.2M2.2%
  9. ICF INCORPORATED, L.L.C.$11.8M2.0%
  10. ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC$7.9M1.3%

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Facilities & utilities$262.8M44%
  2. IT & telecom$189.6M31%
  3. Professional services$127.3M21%
  4. Research & development$15.7M2.6%
  5. Other equipment & supplies$6.4M1.1%
  6. Construction & real property$515.4K0.1%
  7. Equipment maintenance$482.1K0.1%
  8. Health & medical$324.1K0.1%

Where the work was performed

  1. Virginia$248M41%
  2. Abroad$243M40%
  3. Ohio$49.8M8.3%
  4. New Mexico$14.1M2.3%
  5. Illinois$8.7M1.4%
  6. Maryland$8.4M1.4%
  7. Texas$5.8M1.0%
  8. California$3.8M0.6%
  9. 72$2.9M0.5%
  10. Florida$2.8M0.5%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition14%
    US 39% · $86.1M
  • Sole-source awards9.5%
    US 30% · $57.2M
  • Single-offer competitions4.8%
    US 8.8% · $28.9M
  • Urgency justifications2.3%
    US 5.1% · $13.7M
  • Year-end rush41%
    US 5.6% · $250.1M
  • Undefinitized contracts0.4%
    US 5.0% · $2.2M
  • Time-and-materials pricing32%
    US 4.2% · $190M

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Offices with the most sole-source money

  1. DIV OF ACQ AND COOPERATIVE SUPPORT$57.2M9.5%
    National Science Foundation

Contracts terminated for default: 1

Largest awards

  1. SCIENCE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE SUPPORT FOR THE UNITED STATES ANTARCTIC PROGRAM$3.3B
    LEIDOS, INC.· Facilities & utilities· Oct 28, 2016 – Sep 23, 2026· NSFDACS1219442
  2. ARCTIC RESEARCH SUPPORT AND LOGISTICS SERVICES (ARSLS)$283M
    BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE· Franklin County, OH· Professional services· Dec 20, 2019 – Sep 23, 2026· 49100420C0001
  3. IT SERVICES$254.5M
    BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC· Alexandria city, VA· IT & telecom· Jun 28, 2019 – Apr 28, 2026· 49100419F1088
  4. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY MISSION APPLICATION SUPPORT$154.9M
    BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON INC· Alexandria city, VA· IT & telecom· Dec 28, 2023 – Sep 22, 2026· 49100424F0001
  5. IT INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT (ITIS)$102.9M
    BY LIGHT PROFESSIONAL IT SERVICES LLC· Alexandria city, VA· IT & telecom· Dec 27, 2019 – Sep 22, 2026· 49100420F0014
  6. EDAS$75.3M
    SYNECTICS FOR MANAGEMENT DECISIONS, INC.· Alexandria city, VA· IT & telecom· Feb 26, 2020 – Sep 23, 2026· 49100420F0036
  7. OPERATIONS AND MANAGEMENT OF THE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY POLICY INSTITUTE$57.6M
    INSTITUTE FOR DEFENSE ANALYSES· Alexandria city, VA· Research & development· Nov 17, 2016 – Jun 9, 2026· NSFDACS15T0058
  8. ITRAK CORE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT SERVICES$45M
    ACCENTURE FEDERAL SERVICES LLC· Arlington County, VA· IT & telecom· Mar 25, 2019 – May 11, 2026· 49100419F1050

Federal grants & assistance awarded

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

National Science Foundation obligated $5.9B in federal assistance in FY2026, on 14,564 actions (6,972 new awards), −28% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 47.049 · Mathematical and Physical Sciences ($1.3B).

Assistance · FY2026
$5.9B
New awards
6,972
Actions
14.6K
Since FY2021
$46.6B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 7.9BFY2021
  2. 8.2BFY2022
  3. 8.4BFY2023
  4. 8.1BFY2024
  5. 8.2BFY2025
  6. 5.9BFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$5.9B100%

Top programs

  1. 47.049 · Mathematical and Physical Sciences$1.3B21%
  2. 47.070 · Computer and Information Science and Engineering$834.5M14%
  3. 47.076 · Stem Education (Formerly Education and Human Resources)$805.4M14%
  4. 47.084 · Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships$714.1M12%
  5. 47.050 · Geosciences$678.9M12%
  6. 47.074 · Biological Sciences$503.5M8.6%
  7. 47.041 · Engineering$467.6M7.9%
  8. 47.083 · Integrative Activities$460.2M7.8%

Top recipients (organizations)

  1. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN$261.9M4.5%
    AUSTIN, TX
  2. ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITIES FOR RESEARCH IN ASTRONOMY, INC.$149.6M2.5%
    TUCSON, AZ
  3. ASSOCIATED UNIVERSITIES INC$148M2.5%
    VIENNA, VA
  4. UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH$112.1M1.9%
    BOULDER, CO
  5. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO$105.4M1.8%
    LA JOLLA, CA
  6. WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION$100.3M1.7%
    WOODS HOLE, MA
  7. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$97.6M1.7%
    SEATTLE, WA
  8. BATTELLE MEMORIAL INSTITUTE$81.7M1.4%
    COLUMBUS, OH

Where it went

  1. California$695.2M12%
  2. Texas$459.6M7.8%
  3. Massachusetts$400.9M6.8%
  4. New York$353.7M6.0%
  5. Colorado$306.3M5.2%
  6. Virginia$233.5M4.0%
  7. Florida$217.1M3.7%
  8. Pennsylvania$205.8M3.5%
  9. Illinois$201M3.4%
  10. Arizona$192.7M3.3%

By state of the place of performance.

Sub-agencies

  1. National Science Foundation$5.9B100%

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Federal grants & assistance

Subawards under this agency's awards

First-tier subawards that recipients of this agency's contracts and financial assistance reported, by the fiscal year of the subaward.

FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $71.5M (198 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $574.3M (2,664 subawards)

1,018 sub-recipients

Largest sub-recipients

  1. NTT DATA SERVICES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, LLC$26.7M4.1%
    HERNDON, VA · 3 subawards
  2. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO$14M2.2%
    LA JOLLA, CA · 23 subawards
  3. UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN SYSTEM$13.5M2.1%
    MADISON, WI · 30 subawards
  4. PURDUE UNIVERSITY$11.4M1.8%
    WEST LAFAYETTE, IN · 24 subawards
  5. THE TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY$10.7M1.7%
    PRINCETON, NJ · 19 subawards
  6. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA$10.5M1.6%
    GAINESVILLE, FL · 28 subawards
  7. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$9.5M1.5%
    SEATTLE, WA · 37 subawards
  8. MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY$9.1M1.4%
    CAMBRIDGE, MA · 25 subawards
  9. UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME DU LAC$9M1.4%
    NOTRE DAME, IN · 16 subawards
  10. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$8.7M1.3%
    CHICAGO, IL · 23 subawards

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Who lobbies this agency

Organizations whose quarterly lobbying reports list this agency as contacted, ranked by the reports' spending. A report's amount covers all its issues and every agency it lists; reports do not split it.

Lobbying in 2026
$66.6M
Clients
61
Reports
110

The whole amount of every report that lists this agency.

Organizations lobbying it, 2026

  1. Chamber of Commerce of the U.S.A.$36.7M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  2. The Business Roundtable, Inc.$7.6M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  3. MICROSOFT CORPORATIONAI match · 99%$5.1M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Science and technology, Education, Defense
  4. SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS AMERICA INCAI match · 100%$2.7M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  5. HEWLETT PACKARD ENTERPRISE COMPANYAI match · 100%$1.7M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Defense
  6. NATIONAL VENTURE CAPITAL ASSOCIATION$1.6M
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Science and technology, Defense, Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code
  7. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY COUNCILAI match · 100%$1.4M
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  8. SEMI$920K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Defense
  9. SEMICONDUCTOR INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION$910K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Defense
  10. AMERICAN FED OF GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AFL-CIO$800K
    Not matched to a contract recipient · Budget and appropriations, Defense, Labor issues, antitrust and workplace
  11. University of WashingtonAI match · 100%$630K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  12. AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETYAI match · 99%$518.4K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Education, Defense
  13. American Society of Civil EngineersAI match · 100%$473.5K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  14. Northeastern UniversityAI match · 100%$450K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Education
  15. SYNOPSYS, INC.AI match · 100%$370K
    0.0% of its family's FY2026 contracts from this agency · Budget and appropriations, Science and technology, Defense

2 more clients ($80K) are counted but not named: their names may be a person's.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 8, 2026, loaded Oct 8, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Oct 5, 2026.

Committees that oversee and fund it

Congressional committees whose jurisdiction includes this agency, and the appropriations subcommittees that write its spending bill (Analisa's reading of the House and Senate rules; committees share jurisdiction). Leaders as currently published.

…

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 7, 2026, loaded Oct 7, 2026.