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The National Institute of Standards and Technology announced on September 18, 2026, that it is awarding more than $1.7 million in nine cooperative agreements to expand cybersecurity workforce development. The funding, administered through the NICE program, supports Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships to Stimulate Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development (RAMPS) and covers initiatives in eight states. Awards are sized up to $200,000 each and fund curriculum development, internships, apprenticeships and hands-on projects designed to align training with employer needs. NIST says the grants aim to increase the pipeline into cybersecurity careers and to grow local economic opportunities by matching education providers to workplace requirements.
The RAMPS program brings together industry, educational and economic development participants to collectively build a skilled cybersecurity workforce that meets the unique needs of each community.
Karen Wetzel, director of the NICE program at NIST
Key takeaways
- Total funding and scope: NIST awarded more than $1.7 million in nine cooperative agreements to organizations serving communities in eight states.
- Award size: Awards are for up to $200,000 each, with individual grants ranging from $129,311 to $200,000.
- Program and administration: The grants are administered by the NICE program and support RAMPS projects that use the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity.
- Network scale: With these awards, RAMPS communities now total 55 across 26 states.
Table of contents
What NIST funded and why it matters
NIST distributed nine cooperative agreements worth more than $1.7 million on September 18, 2026, to support regional cybersecurity training and career pathways. The awards are intended to address an ongoing shortage of qualified cybersecurity professionals by funding projects that connect education providers, local employers and community organizations. Funding supports curriculum development at high school, college and professional levels as well as practical learning such as internships and apprenticeships.
The awards are handled through the NICE program, which provides guidance via the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity. NIST describes the RAMPS projects as a way to align local workforce needs with learning objectives so training translates more directly into middle-class jobs in cybersecurity and local economic development. The individual cooperative agreements are modest in size — up to $200,000 each — which NIST frames as seed funding to build long-term partnerships.
Who received grants and the regional reach
Nine organizations in eight states won awards ranging from $129,311 to $200,000. Recipients and award amounts are: Florida Atlantic University, $200,000; Kentucky Community and Technical College, $129,311; National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), $200,000; New Mexico Highlands University, $200,000; Regents of the University of Michigan, $200,000; Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education, $199,995; University of Houston, $199,735; University of Tennessee, $199,714; and Wright State University, $199,889.
The projects cover specified service areas such as Palm Beach and Broward Counties and the Treasure Coast counties in Florida, the Big Sandy region of eastern Kentucky, northern New Mexico and multiple regions in Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee and Texas. NIST says the awards increase the number of RAMPS communities to 55, now operating across 26 states, which expands the program’s geographic footprint but leaves many states without a RAMPS community.
Program design, activities and expected outputs
NIST specified that RAMPS projects will use multistakeholder partnerships to develop cybersecurity career pathways tailored to local employer demand. Planned activities include curriculum design, boot camps, workshops, competitions and hands-on projects intended to build workplace-ready skills. Many projects explicitly include internships or apprenticeships so that learners gain practical experience in addition to classroom instruction.
Karen Wetzel, director of the NICE program at NIST, framed the approach as collaborative and locally focused; NIST says the projects are intended to produce both a stronger pipeline of students pursuing cybersecurity careers and tangible economic benefits for participating communities. Because cooperative agreements are capped at the amounts awarded, recipient organizations are likely expected to coordinate additional partners or funding to scale programs beyond the initial grant.
| Recipient | Region served | Award amount |
|---|---|---|
| Florida Atlantic University | Palm Beach and Broward Counties; Treasure Coast counties of Martin, St. Lucie and Indian River | $200,000 |
| Kentucky Community and Technical College | Big Sandy Region of Eastern Kentucky (Floyd, Johnson, Magoffin, Martin and Pike Counties) | $129,311 |
| National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO) | Virginia | $200,000 |
| New Mexico Highlands University | Northern New Mexico | $200,000 |
| Regents of the University of Michigan | Great Lakes Region, Michigan | $200,000 |
| Strategic Ohio Council for Higher Education | Southwest Ohio | $199,995 |
| University of Houston | Houston, Texas | $199,735 |
| University of Tennessee | East and Central Tennessee | $199,714 |
| Wright State University | Southwest Ohio | $199,889 |
How this could play out
The case for
- Projects that pair curriculum development with internships and apprenticeships could increase the number of job-ready graduates entering cybersecurity roles, addressing skills gaps identified by employers.
- Expanding RAMPS to 55 communities across 26 states creates a wider network for sharing best practices, NICE-aligned curricula and employer partnerships that other regions can adapt.
The case against
- Award sizes are modest — capped at up to $200,000 each — which may limit how many learners and employers a single project can reach without additional funding or partner contributions.
- Geographic coverage remains partial: although RAMPS now spans 26 states, not all states are represented, so local workforce shortages may persist where no community exists.
What to be careful about
- Initial cooperative agreements are limited in size and may not fund sustained programming without follow-on support or additional partners.
- Local employers may have different hiring standards, so aligning curricula to immediate local needs could leave gaps for nationally standardized certifications.
The bottom line
NIST’s latest RAMPS awards broaden the program’s footprint while targeting practical learning that connects training to employer needs. The nine cooperative agreements—totaling more than $1.7 million and administered by NICE—fund curriculum work, internships and apprenticeships across eight states and add to a network of 55 RAMPS communities in 26 states. The grants provide seed resources that can catalyze local partnerships, but program scale and long-term sustainability will depend on additional funding, employer buy-in and how quickly recipient organizations turn curriculum and work-based learning into measurable hiring outcomes.
What to watch
- Watch for public updates from each funded RAMPS project on implementation milestones; no specific reporting date has been set.
- Watch for NIC E or NIST announcements about follow-on funding or additional RAMPS solicitations; no date has been provided.
Frequently asked questions
What is the total amount NIST awarded for RAMPS in 2026?
NIST announced more than $1.7 million in nine cooperative agreements on September 18, 2026, to support RAMPS projects across eight states.
Who administers the RAMPS grants and what framework do projects use?
The grants are administered by the NICE program at NIST and projects are guided by the NICE Workforce Framework for Cybersecurity to align training with employer needs.
Which organizations received the largest awards in 2026?
Several recipients received the maximum-sized awards listed: Florida Atlantic University, NASEO, New Mexico Highlands University and the Regents of the University of Michigan each received $200,000.
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