The National September 11 Memorial and Museum and 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center

The Department of War, through the Washington Headquarters Services Acquisition Directorate, has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity to support two highly specific, congressionally directed initiatives tied to the commemoration and public understanding of the September 11, 2001 attacks. This opportunity is authorized under the FY26 appropriations framework and is administered on behalf of the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Acquisition and Sustainment. The funding is designed to advance national awareness, education, and engagement related to the events of September 11, with a particular emphasis on military response, service, and remembrance. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to provide financial support for two distinct but related projects. The first supports the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in its efforts to promote military recruitment and service while educating the public on the military’s response to the attacks. The second supports the Pentagon Memorial Fund in constructing a visitor education center at the Pentagon Memorial site. These projects are intended to deliver public benefit through educational programming, infrastructure development, and enhanced visitor engagement tied to national memory and defense awareness. The funding structure includes two separate awards, each valued at 12 million dollars, resulting in a total program funding amount of 24 million dollars. The funding instruments differ by project: the National September 11 Memorial and Museum will receive a cooperative agreement, indicating substantial federal involvement in project execution, while the Pentagon Memorial Fund will receive a grant. Cooperative agreement involvement may include defining project focus, approving work areas, coordinating logistics, and providing access to Department of War installations. Eligibility for this opportunity is highly restricted and limited exclusively to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum and the Pentagon Memorial Fund. Applicants must maintain active registration in the System for Award Management and possess a valid Unique Entity Identifier. Additional compliance requirements include disclosure of conflicts of interest, adherence to federal certification requirements, and submission of required federal forms such as SF-424 and related documentation. No cost sharing or matching funds are required under this program. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov and must include a structured project narrative, abstract, budget documentation, and required federal forms. The narrative is limited to ten pages and must describe the project plan, milestones, personnel, cost breakdown, and public benefit. Submissions must follow strict formatting guidelines and be provided in PDF format. The application process may include an initial screening stage followed by invitation for full proposal submission, depending on evaluation outcomes. The application timeline is structured as a rolling submission process, with no fixed deadline, allowing applicants to submit proposals continuously while the opportunity remains open. Awards will be evaluated and issued on a rolling basis, with notification provided via email. The period of performance is flexible and determined based on the proposed project scope. This opportunity does not indicate recurring cycles, as it is tied to a specific congressional appropriation. Evaluation criteria are governed by federal regulations and include technical merit, budget justification, and risk assessment. The Department of War reserves the right to select any number of applications or none at all and may request additional information during the review process. Successful applicants will enter into negotiations prior to final award issuance. Questions regarding the opportunity may be directed to the designated grants officer or specialist via email.

Ensure strong public benefit statement and detailed project plan with milestones and cost breakdown