To accelerate national security and public sector innovation by teaching students, educators and practitioners to rapidly discover and deliver solutions to hard problems through experiential, problem-centric learning and collaboration between government, industry and academia.
Hacking for Defense Incorporated uses small, program-focused grants to support a national security training model built around university teams, educators, and government sponsors. Its recent awards cluster around program support for universities and related organizations that help students work on defense and public-sector problems through experiential, problem-centric collaboration. The largest recent grant in the list is $80,000 to Stanford University for program support, followed by $55,000 to George Mason University Foundation Inc and $43,125 to The University of Texas at Austin. Those awards point to a funding pattern centered on higher education partners rather than individual researchers or unrestricted institutional support. The foundation also backs institutions in different parts of the country, including The Regents of the University of California at San Diego, Carnegie Mellon University, and Trustees of the Columbia University in the City of New York. Recent grants also reach organizations outside the university core when they appear tied to the same program model, such as Neurosmart, J3d Labs Inc, Offset Ai, Project Agrippa LLC, Saif Systems Inc, and Valis Systems. Across the list, the common thread is direct support for program delivery, prototyping, training, and implementation within the Hacking for Defense network.
Education and training is central to the foundation’s giving. It awarded $55,000 to George Mason University Foundation Inc for program support, aligning with its educator and sponsor training activity. The same pattern appears in support for conferences and curriculum-related participation across the Hacking for Defense model. University-based defense innovation is another clear theme. Hacking for Defense Incorporated gave $30,000 to Regents of the University of California at San Diego for program support and $20,000 to Carnegie Mellon University for program support, showing investment in institutions that can run student teams and connect them with real-world problem sets. It also funds public-sector problem solving through campus programs in multiple states. Examples include $15,000 to University of Cincinnati Foundation and $15,000 to University of Hawaii Foundation, both for program support, indicating a broad set of participating institutions rather than a single regional cluster.
$685K
$894K
$1.2M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $15K and $20K, with a median of $15K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$15K
75th Percentile
$20K
About 6% of grants go to recipients in CA.
MARIA TRANQUILLI
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Typical grants are tightly clustered: the 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are $15,000, $15,000, and $20,000. That suggests a standard award level near $15,000, with a smaller number of larger program-support grants. The recent list shows repeat recipients across years, including Texas A&M Foundation, Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University, Stanford University, and The University of Texas at Dallas, which points to recurring support rather than purely one-time awards. The foundation funds programs, not individuals, and its active grant programs include Educators & Sponsors Course / Conference and Corporate Sponsorship (H4Di). Both accept unsolicited participation.
Grants are national and all recent awards in the dataset went to U.S. recipients. California appears most often by recipient location, with awards in Stanford, La Jolla, Berkeley, Redwood City, Los Altos, and San Diego. Texas is another frequent destination, including Austin, College Station, and Richardson. Other recipient cities include Fairfax, New York, Chicago, Orlando, and Honolulu.
The recent grants list is dominated by universities and university foundations, including Stanford University, George Mason University Foundation Inc, The University of Texas at Austin, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Hawaii Foundation. The foundation also funds program-support awards to companies and labs tied to its defense-innovation model, such as J3d Labs Inc, Offset Ai, Project Agrippa LLC, Saif Systems Inc, and Valis Systems.
The grant-size distribution is concentrated at $15,000. The 25th percentile, median, and 75th percentile are $15,000, $15,000, and $20,000, so most awards cluster near a single program-support level with some larger grants above that amount.
Yes. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including Texas A&M Foundation, Arizona State University Foundation for a New American University, Stanford University, and The University of Texas at Dallas. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships with some institutions rather than one-off awards only.
The active grant programs include Educators & Sponsors Course / Conference and Corporate Sponsorship (H4Di), and both accept unsolicited participation. The course and conference are used to train educators and prepare government sponsors, while the corporate sponsor track supports university teams with mentoring, travel, prototyping, testing, and access to advanced facilities.
By recipient location, California is the top state in the recent grant list. Named recipient cities there include Stanford, La Jolla, Berkeley, Redwood City, Los Altos, and San Diego, while other awards go to places such as Austin, Fairfax, New York, Chicago, Orlando, and Honolulu.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Y MWMBWLS LLC | YORKTOWN, VA | $22,217 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC | STORRS, CT | $22,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| VALIS SYSTEMS | MIAMI, FL | $14,800 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| PHAROS AEROSPACE | CHICAGO, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | ROCHESTER, NY | $9,782 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CAMA SECURITY INC | BUFFALO GROVE, IL | $8,941 | 2025 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO | LA JOLLA, CA | $30,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS | RICHARDSON, TX | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOUNDATION | CINCINNATI, OH | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY | BERKELEY, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION | COLLEGE STATION, TX | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| PROJECT AGRIPPA LLC | LOS ALTOS, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| SAIF SYSTEMS INC | STANFORD, CA | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FOUNDATION | HONOLULU, HI | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TRUSTEES OF THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK | NEW YORK, NY | $15,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $12,500 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| DEXTRAL INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CAUSALTWIN INC | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $10,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| STANFORD UNIVERSITY | STANFORD, CA | $80,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC | FAIRFAX, VA | $55,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN | AUSTIN, TX | $43,125 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| NEUROSMART | CUMMING, GA | $27,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| J3D LABS INC | REDWOOD CITY, CA | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| OFFSET AI | JACKSONVILLE, FL | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY | PITTSBURGH, PA | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS | RICHARDSON, TX | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION | FORT COLLINS, CO | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | ROCHESTER, NY | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION | DENVER, CO | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA | TUSCALOOSA, AL | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY | TEMPE, AZ | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION | COLLEGE STATION, TX | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC | ORLANDO, FL | $15,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
Y MWMBWLS LLC
$22,217PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC
$22,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
VALIS SYSTEMS
$14,800PROGRAM SUPPORT
PHAROS AEROSPACE
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$9,782PROGRAM SUPPORT
CAMA SECURITY INC
$8,941PROGRAM SUPPORT
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT SAN DIEGO
PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT BERKELEY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
PROJECT AGRIPPA LLC
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
SAIF SYSTEMS INC
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
TRUSTEES OF THE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$12,500PROGRAM SUPPORT
DEXTRAL INC
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CAUSALTWIN INC
$10,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
STANFORD UNIVERSITY
$80,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION INC
$55,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN
$43,125PROGRAM SUPPORT
NEUROSMART
$27,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
J3D LABS INC
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
OFFSET AI
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA - TUSCALOOSA
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION FOR A NEW AMERICAN UNIVERSITY
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA RESEARCH FOUNDATION INC
$15,000PROGRAM SUPPORT