Global Nuclear Security Engagement Activities | SFOP0005186

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0005186

The Global Nuclear Security Engagement Activities opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0005186) is a U.S. Department of State program administered by the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, through its Office of Cooperative Threat Reduction (ISN/CTR). It sits under the Partnership for Nuclear Threat Reduction (PNTR), a set of efforts aimed at reducing the risk that nuclear material, related technology, or specialized expertise could be stolen, diverted, or otherwise proliferated in ways that might enable an attack against the United States. The central problem the program is trying to address is that insider involvement is a recurring feature of nuclear theft incidents: historically, known cases of theft involving nuclear material have been led or assisted by insiders. PNTR therefore prioritizes practical measures that reduce the likelihood that radicalized, disgruntled, pressured, or coerced personnel at sensitive facilities can exploit their access to materials, systems, or knowledge.

The opportunity emphasizes strengthening nuclear security practices and, in particular, mitigating the insider threat at nuclear facilities and within nuclear technical organizations. PNTR approaches this by working directly with the people and institutions responsible for nuclear operations and security, including nuclear scientists, engineers, and technicians, security professionals, trainers within relevant institutions, and decision-makers in technical organizations. The intent is to promote technical cooperation and help partners adopt and sustain best practices that make it harder for an insider to misuse legitimate access. A notable boundary in the scope is that PNTR does not fund physical security upgrades and does not provide guard force training; the focus is on programs, procedures, guidance, and organizational behavior rather than hardware or tactical security capabilities.

Project activities described in the announcement fall into broad thematic categories. One key category is Insider Threat Mitigation, which includes developing and implementing trustworthiness and personnel reliability systems and the regulatory or procedural guidance that supports them. Examples referenced include human reliability programs and fitness-for-duty approaches, which generally involve structured screening, continuous evaluation, and processes to identify and respond to concerning behavior, coercion risks, or performance issues among personnel with sensitive access. These activities can be implemented at different scales, such as a single facility, an entire organization, or at a national level through policy and regulatory frameworks. The goal across these efforts is to reduce the risk that an insider can divert nuclear material, compromise technology, or provide expertise to unauthorized actors.

Another highlighted category is Nuclear Security Culture in Practice. This line of work is geared toward strengthening day-to-day security procedures and reinforcing the idea that protecting nuclear material is a personal responsibility shared across the workforce, not only a function of security staff. In practice, nuclear security culture programming typically targets how staff perceive security rules, how consistently procedures are followed, whether personnel feel empowered to report concerns, and whether leadership reinforces security as a core organizational value. By focusing on behavior, accountability, and institutional norms, these activities are meant to improve the reliability of security practices over time and reduce vulnerabilities that an insider could exploit.

Administratively, the award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which usually implies substantial involvement or partnership from the U.S. government during implementation rather than a hands-off grant relationship. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding, with CFDA number 19.033. Eligibility is limited to nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, excluding institutions of higher education. The posting indicates it was created on June 12, 2018, with an original closing date of June 13, 2018, suggesting a very short submission window for that specific notice. The listing also shows an award ceiling of 0 and expected awards of 0, which can indicate that the notice may have served a particular administrative purpose (for example, a narrow solicitation, a placeholder, or an action tied to a specific process) rather than a typical open competition with defined funding amounts.

Overall, the opportunity is best understood as an engagement and capacity-building effort focused on insider risk reduction and the practical, human and organizational dimensions of nuclear security. Instead of funding guards or facility hardening, it supports the policies, trustworthiness programs, training approaches, and cultural reinforcement that help nuclear organizations prevent insiders from exploiting access to material, technology, or expertise.

• The Department of State, Bureau of International Security-Nonproliferation in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Global Nuclear Security Engagement Activities" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.033.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 12, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 13, 2018. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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