The US Air Force Office of Scientific Research sees its mission as providing U.S. warfighters with a technological edge in battle. Each year, they evaluate thousands of basic research proposals received from scientists and researchers worldwide, in competition for a portion of $400 million in funding Air Force Office of Scientific Research program managers manage on behalf of the Air Force and the Air Force Research Laboratory.
A recent DefenseLINK article offers a very basic outline of the granting and funding review process.