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The primary objective of this investigation is the optimum design of lightweight foam material systems for controlled energy absorption under blast impact. The ultimate goal of these systems is to increase the safety and integrity of occupants and critical components in structural systems such as automotive vehicles, buildings, ships, and aircrafts. Although outstanding results have been achieved with the use of foams in blast protective systems, current design practices rely on trial and error as there is an absence of a systematic design method. While the governing equations are known for a variety of physical phenomena in appropriate length scales, there are no suitable methodologies to accomplish the aforementioned objectives. A promising approach to systematically design the material's microstructure is the use of structural optimization methods. This investigation presents an appropriate design methodology to optimally design foam material systems for blast mitigation.