Countering Chemical Weapons Threats

The U.S. Department of State, through its International Security and Nonproliferation (ISN) Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR), has released the Fiscal Year 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) DFOP0017264 for its Chemical Security Program (CSP). This funding initiative aims to enhance global chemical security, counter chemical weapons threats, and uphold nonproliferation norms through partnerships with foreign governments, private industries, academia, and civil society. With a focus on key regions and high-priority countries, CSP is an important tool for countering the illicit acquisition of chemical weapons (CW) capabilities by both state and non-state actors. The CSP is specifically designed to support targeted engagement in priority countries to identify and disrupt the transfer of chemical precursors, laboratory equipment, and technical expertise to adversaries. The program seeks to mitigate proliferation networks, promote chemical safety standards, and build capacity for detection, interdiction, investigation, and attribution of CW use. Four core objectives define CSP’s scope: (1) disrupting CW supply chains and networks, (2) enhancing defensive response and attribution capacity, (3) promoting compliance with the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), and (4) preventing non-state actor CW attacks. Countries of impact span Africa, East Asia Pacific, Europe, the Near East, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. This NOFO anticipates distributing approximately 10 awards with values ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000 per project, with a total funding pool of $4,000,000 pending availability. The performance period is expected to range from 12 to 24 months, and the anticipated project start date is January 1, 2026. Funding will be provided through grants, cooperative agreements, or inter-agency agreements (IAAs). Cooperative agreements involve substantial involvement from ISN/CTR staff in planning, curriculum development, participant selection, and logistical oversight. Matching contributions are not required but may be offered voluntarily. Eligibility is open to a wide range of applicants including U.S.-based and foreign non-profit organizations, public and private higher education institutions, for-profit organizations, federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), foreign public entities, and public international organizations. All applicants must possess a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and be registered in SAM.gov. Only one application per organization is allowed, but each application can contain multiple independent project proposals. Applications must include a complete proposal package consisting of required federal forms (e.g., SF-424, SF-424A), summary pages, key personnel resumes, monitoring and evaluation plans, budget narratives, and project-specific documentation. Proposals should clearly outline the problem addressed, objectives, deliverables, methods, outcomes, timeline, partners, and sustainability plans. Review criteria include project quality (25 points), organizational capacity (20 points), project planning (15 points), cost-effectiveness (15 points), monitoring and evaluation (15 points), and sustainability (10 points). Applications are due no later than 11:59 PM EDT on July 31, 2025. Questions may be submitted to ISN-CTR-BUDGET@state.gov and csp@state.gov. Q&A responses will be published weekly until July 25, 2025. Award notifications are expected by October 15, 2025. Funded projects must adhere to various legal, financial, and policy compliance requirements, including anti-terrorism, anti-discrimination, and human rights regulations. Post-award rep