Mitigating Proliferation Risks Posed by Artificial Intelligence Enabled Molecular Models and Leveraging Nonproliferation Opportunities - DFOP0018449
Below is a brief summary. Please check the full solicitation before applying (link in resources section).
Executive Summary:
Application Deadline: 11:59 PM ET on 7/21/2026. Organizations interested in this opportunity should plan to begin preparing their application immediately, as proposals require a detailed technical narrative, budget, monitoring and evaluation plan, and supporting documentation.
The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Office of the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (ACN/NDF), is seeking proposals to reduce the proliferation risks created by artificial intelligence-enabled molecular models (CBAIMs) while advancing beneficial AI applications for chemical and biological nonproliferation.
The program supports projects that identify vulnerabilities in AI molecular models and associated datasets, develop safeguards and mitigation measures, create technical tools and international best practices, and strengthen international cooperation to prevent the misuse of AI for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) applications.
Projects may address the full scope of the program or a clearly defined subset of the stated objectives. Awards will be made as Cooperative Agreements, meaning the Department of State expects substantial involvement throughout the project.
How much funding would I receive?
The solicitation provides:
Total available funding: $4,000,000
Anticipated number of awards: 2–5
Award type: Cooperative Agreement
Maximum period of performance: 24 months
The solicitation does not specify a minimum or maximum award amount per recipient. Proposals may not exceed the total availability of funds under this NOFO.
What could I use the funding for?
Funding supports projects that help prevent the misuse of AI-enabled molecular models while promoting responsible AI development for chemical and biological security.
Examples of supported activities include:
Identifying foreign stakeholders involved in AI-enabled molecular design.
Conducting technical evaluations and risk assessments of AI molecular models, datasets, computing infrastructure, and model architectures.
Developing and testing safeguards, mitigation measures, and best practices that reduce proliferation risks.
Piloting new methodologies to evaluate and mitigate misuse throughout the AI model lifecycle.
Developing software tools, secure platforms, methodologies, and other technical resources that leverage AI for nonproliferation purposes.
Developing tools that detect illicit chemical or biological material acquisition, development, diversion, proliferation, weaponization, or use.
Publishing international guidelines, codes of ethics, best practices, institutional mechanisms, software tools, or platforms supporting responsible AI development.
Organizing international workshops, tabletop exercises, technical exchanges, and stakeholder engagement activities.
Providing mentorship and trainer development to foreign partners.
Supporting recurring evaluations and red-teaming exercises to validate safeguards as technology evolves.
The Department encourages projects that produce tangible technical deliverables rather than awareness activities alone. Deliverables may include:
Software tools
Secure data-sharing platforms
Methodologies
Guidelines
Codes of ethics
Mitigation measures
Technical frameworks
Other resources supporting responsible AI molecular research and nonproliferation.
Are there any additional benefits I would receive?
Beyond funding, successful recipients will work closely with ACN/NDF throughout the project.
Under the Cooperative Agreement, the Department expects substantial involvement, including:
Regular coordination with ACN/NDF.
Quarterly milestone reviews.
Collaboration on identifying international partners and stakeholders.
Assistance coordinating workshops and engagement activities.
Review and feedback on work plans and project deliverables.
Coordination with Department of State personnel and U.S. Missions where appropriate.
Guidance to ensure project activities remain aligned with Department priorities.
Projects may also help establish long-term international communities of practice, strengthen partnerships with government, industry, and academia, and encourage adoption of globally recognized safeguards and best practices for AI-enabled molecular models.
What is the timeline to apply and when would I receive funding?
Application deadline: 11:59 PM ET on 7/21/2026.
Applications must be submitted through MyGrants. Faxed, couriered, or emailed applications are not accepted except for eligible U.S. Federal Government entities.
Following submission:
Applications first undergo a Technical Eligibility Review.
Eligible applications advance to a Merit Review Panel.
Final award decisions are made by ACN/NDF leadership.
The solicitation states that awards may be made based on the initial application without discussions or negotiations.
The solicitation does not specify when award decisions will be announced or when funding will be received.
If selected:
A pre-project implementation meeting will occur within 30 days after award.
A draft Project Work Plan must be submitted within 30 days of award.
Where does this funding come from?
This funding is provided by the:
U.S. Department of State
Bureau of Arms Control and Nonproliferation
Office of the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund (ACN/NDF)
The authority for this funding opportunity is Section 504 of the FREEDOM Support Act of 1992.
The Office of the Nonproliferation and Disarmament Fund develops projects that support U.S. efforts to:
Prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Reduce chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
Prevent the spread of missile and advanced conventional weapons.
Support international nonproliferation and arms control objectives.
Secure, remove, or destroy WMD-related materials and systems.
This funding opportunity specifically supports projects addressing proliferation risks associated with AI-enabled molecular models and opportunities to leverage AI in support of international chemical and biological nonproliferation efforts.
Who is eligible to apply?
The following U.S.-based organizations are eligible to apply:
Domestic not-for-profit organizations, including organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status.
Public institutions of higher education.
Private institutions of higher education.
For-profit organizations and businesses.
U.S. Federal Government entities.
Organizations may also form a consortium and submit a combined proposal. In these cases:
One organization must serve as the lead applicant.
The remaining organizations must participate as sub-awardees.
The lead applicant must independently meet the eligibility requirements.
Cost sharing is not required. Providing voluntary cost share is not an eligibility requirement and will not improve an application's competitive ranking.
Who is not eligible to apply?
The following organizations are not eligible under this solicitation:
Foreign not-for-profit organizations.
Foreign Public Entities (FPEs).
Public International Organizations (PIOs).
Additionally, organizations are not eligible if they:
Have an exclusion listed in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov).
Have a current debt to the U.S. Government.
Include any excluded entity or individual identified in the SAM.gov Exclusions list as part of the proposed project.
The solicitation also notes that while for-profit organizations are eligible, the Department of State prohibits recipients from earning profit under assistance awards. Reimbursement is limited to allowable direct and indirect costs.
What companies and projects are likely to win?
The Department identifies several characteristics that it will evaluate favorably.
Strong proposals are likely to:
Directly address AI-enabled chemical and biological proliferation risks and/or leverage AI to strengthen nonproliferation objectives.
Produce practical, deployable technical deliverables rather than awareness activities alone.
Demonstrate experience researching, testing, or implementing safeguards for AI molecular models.
Include meaningful technical assessments, risk evaluations, or mitigation strategies.
Develop software tools, secure platforms, methodologies, guidelines, or other resources that can be readily adopted by researchers and industry.
Include subject matter experts with broad international AI research and development expertise.
Prioritize partner countries with a clear rationale.
Demonstrate measurable nonproliferation benefits supported by data-driven analysis.
Include long-term sustainability through communities of practice, national action plans, or ongoing partnerships.
Deliver meaningful threat reduction within the first year of funding.
Incorporate workshops, technical exchanges, mentorship, red-teaming exercises, and sustained stakeholder engagement.
Present creative solutions that extend beyond the examples listed in the NOFO while remaining aligned with its objectives.
During formal evaluation, reviewers will assess:
Responsiveness to the program objectives.
Technical quality of the proposed activities.
Organizational capability.
Budget realism and cost efficiency.
Past performance on previous grants and cooperative agreements.
If two proposals receive equivalent evaluation scores, preference will be given to the applicant with the lower indirect cost rate as a tie-breaking mechanism.
How competitive will this solicitation be?
This is expected to be a highly competitive funding opportunity.
The solicitation provides:
$4,000,000 in total available funding.
2–5 anticipated awards.
Applications must first pass a Technical Eligibility Review before advancing to a Merit Review Panel.
Eligible proposals will be evaluated on a 100-point scale by U.S. Government subject matter experts and, where appropriate, non-government subject matter experts.
Reviewers will evaluate:
Proposed activities.
Organizational capability.
Budget.
Past performance.
Final selections will also consider:
Alignment with Department of State priorities.
Support for U.S. foreign policy objectives.
Geographic distribution of top-ranked applications.
The Department also reserves the right to make awards based solely on the initial application without discussions or negotiations, making a complete and well-developed first submission especially important.
Are there any restrictions I should know about?
Applicants should be aware of several important restrictions and compliance requirements.
Key restrictions include:
Award funds may not be provided to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
Funds may not support activities that encourage, mobilize, publicize, or manage mass-migration caravans toward the U.S. southwest border.
Funds may not be used for legal counseling on the U.S. asylum process or referrals to legal representation in the United States.
If the project involves Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), additional requirements apply.
Recipients must comply with applicable Federal anti-discrimination requirements where applicable.
Institutions of higher education must comply with applicable foreign funding disclosure requirements.
Certain awards exceeding specified thresholds require Trafficking in Persons compliance certifications.
All applicants must maintain an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and SAM.gov registration throughout the application and award period unless an approved exemption applies.
Applications must be submitted through MyGrants (except eligible U.S. Federal Government entities).
The Department of State prohibits recipients from earning profit under assistance awards.
Recipients should also review the applicable Federal regulations, Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions, and reporting requirements described throughout the solicitation.
How long will it take me to prepare an application?
This is a moderate- to high-effort application.
Applicants must prepare a complete proposal package that includes:
SF-424 and SF-424A (where applicable)
Project Proposal Narrative (maximum 10 pages)
Detailed line-item budget
Budget narrative
Resumes or position descriptions for key personnel
Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan (maximum 3 pages, excluding the tracking document)
Performance indicator tracking table
Required registrations, including an active UEI and SAM.gov registration
The proposal narrative must clearly describe:
The problem being addressed
Program goals and measurable objectives
Technical approach
Activities
Timeline
Program partners (if applicable)
Sustainability plan
Organizations without an active SAM.gov registration should allow additional time. The solicitation states that obtaining or renewing a registration may take anywhere from 4–8 weeks.
Because the Department may make awards based on the initial application without discussions or negotiations, applicants should submit their strongest technical and budget proposal by the application deadline of 11:59 PM ET on 7/21/2026.
How can BW&CO help?
BW&CO helps organizations develop competitive, compliant proposals for federal funding opportunities like this one.
Our team can assist with:
Assessing whether your technology or organization aligns with the solicitation.
Developing a proposal strategy aligned with the stated evaluation criteria.
Writing and editing the technical proposal narrative.
Developing measurable project objectives, milestones, and deliverables.
Preparing compliant budgets and budget narratives.
Developing monitoring and evaluation plans.
Reviewing proposals for completeness and responsiveness before submission.
For this opportunity, applicants should be prepared to demonstrate strong technical expertise in AI-enabled molecular models, chemical and biological security, or closely related disciplines, along with a clear implementation strategy and measurable outcomes that align with the Department of State's stated objectives.