Federal contractor · BOULDER, CO

UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH

UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH received $23.9M in federal contract obligations in FY2026, on 35 awards (−2.7% vs FY2025). Since FY2017: $179.1M. Its largest customer was National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ($16.4M). It also received $156.5M in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$23.9M
New awards
35
Sole-source
67%
Single offer
0.0%
UEI
YEZEE8W5JKA3
Other than small businessNonprofit
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graph

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 11.9MFY2017
  2. 11.6MFY2018
  3. 14.7MFY2019
  4. 14.2MFY2020
  5. 16.1MFY2021
  6. 21MFY2022
  7. 23MFY2023
  8. 18.1MFY2024
  9. 24.6MFY2025
  10. 23.9MFY2026

Top buying agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$16.4M69%
    24 awards
  2. National Aeronautics and Space Administration$3.7M16%
    4 awards
  3. Department of the Air Force$2.3M9.6%
    3 awards
  4. Department of the Navy$1.3M5.3%
    1 awards
  5. Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education$193.5K0.8%
    1 awards
  6. U.S. Geological Survey-$3440.0%
    1 awards
  7. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management-$10K0.0%
    1 awards

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Research & development$16.4M69%
  2. Professional services$7.2M30%
  3. IT & telecom$233K1.0%

Where the work was performed

  1. Boulder County, CO$23.7M99%
  2. Bernalillo County, NM$193.5K0.8%
  3. El Paso County, CO$15.8K0.1%

Integrity signals

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

  • Low competition67%
    US 39% · $16.1M
  • Sole-source awards67%
    US 30% · $16.1M
  • Single-offer competitions0.0%
    US 8.7% · $0
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $0

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

Agencies awarding it sole-source contracts

  1. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$13.5M
    Department of Commerce · 9 awards
  2. Department of the Air Force$955.4K
    Department of Defense · 1 awards
  3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration$400.2K
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration · 1 awards

Largest awards

  1. COMMERCIAL WEATHER DATA PROGRAM: COMMERCIAL AND CLASSIFIED DATA ASSESSMENT$9.5M
    Department of the Air Force· Boulder County, CO· Research & development· Oct 15, 2020 – May 21, 2026· FA873021C0008
  2. COSMIC-PGD SYSTEM (COSMIC-2)$7.4M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Research & development· Aug 15, 2022 – Aug 3, 2026· 1305M222FNEEO0100
  3. UCAR TO - CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (CAMP).$7M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Research & development· May 17, 2024 – Feb 11, 2026· 1305M224F0153
  4. UCAR TASK ORDER - CLIMATE ADAPTATION AND MITIGATION PROGRAM (CAMP)$6.4M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Professional services· Jan 9, 2023 – Feb 11, 2026· 1305M223FNRMN0029
  5. CLIMATE PROGRAM OFFICE(CPO) TASK ORDER.$5.1M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Research & development· Jul 14, 2025 – Jul 18, 2026· 1305M225F0287
  6. REGIONAL OPTICAL NETWORK CONNECTIVITY SERVICES (CONNECTIVITY, COLOCATION AND ENGINEERING SERVICES) FOR ULTRA-HIGH SPEED NETWORK CONNECTIVITY AND ASSOCIATED SERVICES ON AN AS-NEEDED BASIS.$4.8M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Professional services· Aug 23, 2024 – Jul 6, 2026· 1305M424C0010
  7. THE CHROMOSPHERIC MAGNETISM EXPLORER (CMEX)$4.5M
    National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Boulder County, CO· Research & development· Jun 17, 2024 – Aug 5, 2026· 80GSFC24CA012
  8. NHC SURGE$3.2M
    National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Boulder County, CO· Professional services· Jan 19, 2023 – Jul 18, 2026· 1305M223FNAAA0035

Federal grants & assistance received

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.

UNIVERSITY CORPORATION FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH received $156.5M in federal assistance in FY2026, on 257 actions (25 new awards), −27% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 47.050 · Geosciences ($111.8M).

Assistance · FY2026
$156.5M
New awards
25
Actions
257
Since FY2021
$1.2B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 192.6MFY2021
  2. 193.7MFY2022
  3. 230.1MFY2023
  4. 213.1MFY2024
  5. 214.4MFY2025
  6. 156.5MFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$156.5M100%

Top programs

  1. 47.050 · Geosciences$111.8M71%
  2. 11.467 · Meteorologic and Hydrologic Modernization Development$19.3M12%
  3. 43.001 · Science$10.9M7.0%
  4. 11.431 · Climate and Atmospheric Research$8.4M5.3%
  5. 15.808 · U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection$3.4M2.2%
  6. 11.459 · Weather and Air Quality Research$1.4M0.9%
  7. 11.015 · Broad Agency Announcement$1.1M0.7%
  8. 47.078 · Polar Programs$225.9K0.1%

Awarding agencies

  1. National Science Foundation$112.1M72%
  2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration$30.2M19%
    Department of Commerce
  3. National Aeronautics and Space Administration$10.9M7.0%
  4. U.S. Geological Survey$3.4M2.2%
    Department of the Interior

Largest awards

  1. THE MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH$1B
    47.050 · Geosciences· National Science Foundation· Cooperative agreement· Oct 30, 2020 – Aug 31, 2026· 1755088
  2. THIS PROPOSAL OUTLINES CONTINUING COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN NOAA AND UCAR, FOR WORK IN SUPPORT OF THE NOAA SCIENCE COLLABORATION PROGRAM…$40.1M
    11.431 · Climate and Atmospheric Research· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Cooperative agreement· Sep 14, 2023 – Sep 9, 2026· NA23OAR4310383B
  3. THE ETCD PROGRAM'S GOAL IS TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE OF ALL OPERATIONAL METEOROLOGISTS AND HYDROLOGISTS WORLDWIDE. IMPROVING HUMAN PERFORMANCE…$33.4M
    11.467 · Meteorologic and Hydrologic Modernization Development· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Cooperative agreement· Aug 30, 2021 – Jul 27, 2026· NA21NWS4670002
  4. HALF OF THE WORLDS COUNTRIES ARE CURRENTLY NOT PROTECTED BY MULTI-HAZARD EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS (MHEWS; WMO, 2022). THE COMET PROGRAM, PART…$31.2M
    11.467 · Meteorologic and Hydrologic Modernization Development· National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration· Cooperative agreement· Sep 11, 2025 – Sep 25, 2026· NA25NWSX467C0009
  5. ARMY TEST AND EVALUATION COMMAND SUPPORT OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH ACTIVITIES$20.1M
    47.050 · Geosciences· National Science Foundation· Cooperative agreement· Dec 22, 2020 – Aug 20, 2026· 1926711
  6. THE KEY OBJECTIVE OF THE GLOBE IMPLEMENTATION OFFICE: ENGAGING AND CONNECTING GLOBAL COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE 2019-2024 PROPOSAL IS TO…$18.4M
    43.001 · Science· National Aeronautics and Space Administration· Cooperative agreement· Jun 10, 2021 – Dec 19, 2025· 80NSSC19M0120

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.

Subawards

Matched by Unique Entity ID: the first-tier subawards this organization reported as a prime recipient, and those primes reported paying it.

As a prime: who it pays · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $1.9M (3 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $5M (19 subawards)

18 sub-recipients

  1. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA$2.2M32%
    SANTA BARBARA, CA · 2 subawards
  2. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO$1.4M21%
    BOULDER, CO · 3 subawards
  3. BAE SYSTEMS SPACE & MISSION SYSTEMS INC.$897.7K13%
    BOULDER, CO · 1 subaward
  4. LINCOLN INSTITUTE OF LAND POLICY$662.4K9.6%
    PHOENIX, AZ · 1 subaward
  5. UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO$551K8.0%
    MAYAGUEZ, PR · 1 subaward
  6. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA$316.7K4.6%
    NORMAN, OK · 1 subaward
  7. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$244.2K3.6%
    SEATTLE, WA · 1 subaward
  8. THE RESEARCH FOUNDATION FOR THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK$164.5K2.4%
    STONY BROOK, NY · 1 subaward
  9. TRUSTEES OF THE COLORADO SCHOOL OF MINES$92.7K1.3%
    GOLDEN, CO · 2 subawards
  10. UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS$60K0.9%
    AMHERST, MA · 1 subaward

As a sub-recipient: who pays it · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $468.3K (3 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $3.7M (25 subawards)

17 primes

  1. THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY$549.2K13%
    UNIVERSITY PARK, PA · 1 subaward
  2. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY$535.7K13%
    FAIRFAX, VA · 2 subawards
  3. UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY RESEARCH FOUNDATION, THE$457.2K11%
    LEXINGTON, KY · 1 subaward
  4. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO$447.8K11%
    BOULDER, CO · 5 subawards
  5. PURDUE UNIVERSITY$429.2K10%
    WEST LAFAYETTE, IN · 1 subaward
  6. THE AEROSPACE CORPORATION$328.4K7.9%
    EL SEGUNDO, CA · 1 subaward
  7. CORNELL UNIVERSITY$234.4K5.7%
    ITHACA, NY · 1 subaward
  8. UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON$204.2K4.9%
    SEATTLE, WA · 3 subawards
  9. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO$159.9K3.9%
    MOSCOW, ID · 1 subaward
  10. PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY$149.3K3.6%
    PORTLAND, OR · 1 subaward

Its reported sub-contracts equal 8.0% of its FY2026 contract obligations.

By fiscal year

  • FY2021: $7.1M paid out · $9.5M received
  • FY2022: $10.8M paid out · $7.6M received
  • FY2023: $9M paid out · $8.9M received
  • FY2024: $12.8M paid out · $10.4M received
  • FY2025: $5.8M paid out · $9.8M received
  • FY2026: $6.9M paid out · $4.1M received

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 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Teaming partners

Companies this company reported paying, primes that reported paying it, from FFATA subaward reports.

Companies it pays

124 companies · $52.3M reported

  1. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO$8M
    BOULDER, CO · 49 subawards · Scientific research and development services
  2. THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA$4.7M
    OAKLAND, CA · 8 subawards
  3. BAE SYSTEMS LAND & ARMAMENTS L.P.$2.9M
    YORK, PA · 3 subawards · Scientific research and development services

Primes that pay it

72 companies · $50.4M reported

  1. UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA$3.9M
    NORMAN, OK · 12 subawards
  2. WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION$3.7M
    WOODS HOLE, MA · 10 subawards
  3. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$3.7M
    ANN ARBOR, MI · 10 subawards · Scientific research and development services

Showing the top 3 of each list. Open the profile for potential partners and the full lists.

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 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · Subawards loaded from 2021.

Competitors

Companies that win from the same buyers in the same markets: obligations by agency and industry compared over the last three fiscal years.

Compared on 15 markets (agency × industry), FY2024–FY2026.

  1. GLOBAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY, LLC$63.2M+59% in FY2026
    GREENBELT, MD · 62% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Scientific research and development services
  2. SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION$109.7M−15% in FY2026
    HAMPTON, VA · 72% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Scientific research and development servicesNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Scientific research and development services
  3. CONSOLIDATED SAFETY SERVICES INCORPORATED$100M−11% in FY2026
    FAIRFAX, VA · 67% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Scientific research and development servicesNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Scientific research and development servicesNational Aeronautics and Space Administration · Computer systems design and related services

Showing the top 3 of 25 competitors. Open the profile for the full list.

Who sells to the same buyers in the same markets, not who wins against whom on a given contract. Prime contract obligations by the agency and NAICS code of each award; subawards are never added. A company is a family of legal entities, joined by parent UEI or, in part, by an AI reading of names.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · FY2024–FY2026.

Lobbying and PAC activity

Organizations in House lobbying disclosures and FEC records whose names an AI judgment matched to this company. Those records carry no identifier shared with contracts, so every match is by name.

Matched organizations

  • University Corporation for Atmospheric ResearchAI match · 100%
Lobbying · 2025
$200K
8 reports
Lobbying · 2023–2026
$640K

Lobbying by year

  1. 2023$90K
    4 reports
  2. 2024$120K
    4 reports
  3. 2025$200K
    8 reports
  4. 2026$230K
    6 reports

Top issues

  1. Budget and appropriations21 reports
  2. Science and technology18 reports
  3. Defense3 reports
  4. Environment and Superfund3 reports

Who was contacted

  1. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES21 reports
  2. U.S. SENATE21 reports

Houses of Congress and federal agencies the reports list as contacted (a report names every one for all its issues).

Lobbying firms hired

  1. Strategies 360$330K
    12 reports
  2. Red Maple Consulting, LLC$170K
    8 reports
  3. THE WAYFINDER GROUP$140K
    2 reports

Registrants who are individuals are counted, not named.

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 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Sep 30, 2026.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 9, 2026, loaded Oct 9, 2026.