Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program

Program Details

From FY 2020 through FY 2023, a total of $110 million has been allocated to 23 Defense Manufacturing Communities to assist over 5,366 defense businesses and 100,000 workers. This program currently assists:

More than 1,143 small and medium size companies to receive guidance on entering the defense sector;
Development of 65 new defense technologies/ products;
Improvement of 133 defense technologies/ products; and
Enhancement of cybersecurity capabilities of 452 companies.

The program is authorized under the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Section 846, P.L. 115-232).

Eligibility and Requirements

Proposals under this program should be submitted by a Lead Organization on behalf of the regional manufacturing consortium. Lead Organizations can be state, local, or tribal government, non-profit or private-non-profit institutions. A consortium can be comprised of the following organizations and various combinations of the following:

state and local government organizations
defense industry and association-led organizations
non-profit organizations
academia
any combination of the above

Consortium must demonstrate regional collaboration capabilities and technological and/or industrial base supply chains that are determined to be critical to national security. Funding and technical assistance can be used to enhances a region's ability to narrow gaps and address needs in defense manufacturing in the areas of:

Critical skills
Facilities
Research and development
Small business support

Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Awards

On September 25, 2023, the Department of Defense announced the award of 6 grants totaling approximately $30 million under the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program by the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation. These awards followed a competitive selection process culminating in the designation of these communities as “Defense Manufacturing Communities” by the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Industrial Base Policy on August 16, 2023.

The awards derive from Fiscal Year 2023 appropriated funding and leverage an additional $10,934,491 in non-Federal funds for a total investment of $40,841,366 to make long-term investments in critical skills, facilities, workforce development, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the national security innovation base.

The grants awards are as follows:

Installation	State	Federal Grant Award
Department of Defense	NY	$5,000,000.00
Enables a Cornell University led project to address the need for advanced defense space technology manufacturing and supply-chain capabilities by fostering collaboration among universities, research institutions, industry experts, and government agencies in New York State for the space technology sector. Fiscal Year 2023 Award
Department of Defense	NY	$5,000,000.00
Enables an Empire State Development Corporation led project to address challenges in the microelectronics industry by strengthening talent pipelines, cultivating an innovation ecosystem, and enhancing local supplier resilience in New York State. Fiscal Year 2023 Award
Department of Defense	PA	$4,908,960.00
Enables a Manufacturers'Association led project to make long-term investments in critical skills, facilities, research and development, and small business support in order to strengthen the submarine industrial base and national security innovation base. This effort will support the U.S. Navy's national security goal of increasing production from one to three submarines annually and enhance the results of the U.S. Navy's Pennsylvania Talent Pipeline Program. Fiscal Year 2023 Award
Department of Defense	MI	$4,997,965.00
Enables a Regents of the University of Michigan led initiative to create the critical foundation for energy storage and battery manufacturing necessary to support the DoD’s rapid transformation from internal combustion engines to electric vehicles and beyond by leveraging federal and state investments, and providing a series of technical assistance, technology acceleration, and training initiatives. Fiscal Year 2023 Award
Department of Defense	MO	$4,999,950.00
Enables a University of Missouri led project to create a pipeline of engineers and tradespeople skilled in the usage of modern digital advanced manufacturing technologies. The program will make use of emerging advanced manufacturing technologies applied to casting repair and direct replacement of forgings, which are DoD priority areas. Fiscal Year 2023 Award

Past Grantees

View Past Grant Awardees

Resources

Other Transactions Webinar

Click here to view the July 31st Other Transactions (OT) webinar featuring Ms. Mary Kathryn Robinson, the Director for Contract Policy in Defense Pricing and Contracting (DPC). Click here to view the webinar slides.

Connecticut Defense Manufacturing Community

A FY20 grantee of the Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program, the Connecticut Defense Manufacturing Community produced a Model Based Technology guidebook as an output of the Digital Model Initiative (DMI), a program designed to accelerate the adoption of 3-D design and manufacturing technology throughout Connecticut’s defense supply chains. Connecticut’s Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie explains the value of the DMI at the state and national level here:

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