Open federal grants for colleges and universities
468 open opportunities as of Oct 16, 2026.
Independent platform. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Data from public federal sources.
Colleges and universities are eligible for a large share of federal research and education funding. Notices list public and state institutions and private institutions separately, and many research programs also have rules about the lead investigator and the sponsored programs office that submits the application.
The list below shows every open opportunity in our database whose official notice lists colleges and universities as an eligible applicant type. Each listing links to a summary page and to the official notice.
Being in an eligible group is only the first check. Read the eligibility section of each notice for location, program focus, cost sharing and other conditions before you start an application.
Open opportunities
Limited Competition: Small Grant Program for NHLBI K01/K08/K23/K25 Recipients (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HL-27-004
Community-Based Participatory Research to Advance Data and Practice Transformation (ADAPT) for Optimizing Oral Health for All (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-015
The Metastasis Research Network (MetNet): MetNet Research Projects (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-26-134
Administrative Supplements to Existing NIH Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Parent Admin Supp Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PA-26-001
Limited Competition: Instrumentation Grant Program for Resource-Limited Institutions (S10 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-067
Biomedical Technology Optimization and Dissemination Center (BTOD) (RM1 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-024
Maximizing Investigators’ Research Award (MIRA) for Early Stage Investigators (ESI)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-032
BRAIN Initiative: Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-NS-28-010
HEAL Initiative: Translating Addiction Epidemiology, Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery Research into Practice (R61/R33 - Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-27-016
HEAL Initiative: Non-addictive Analgesic Therapeutics Development [Small Molecules and Biologics] to Treat Pain (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-NS-27-007
NIAMS P30 Centers Program (P30 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-AR-28-001
Research Grants in Clinical Informatics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-26-042
Advancing Bioinformatics, Translational Bioinformatics and Computational Biology Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-26-040
NINDS Efficacy and Exploratory Clinical Trials (UG3/UH3 - Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-065
Paul Calabresi Career Development Award for Clinical Oncology (K12 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-025
Science Track Award for Research Transition (START) Program (R03, Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAS-27-028
SBIR/STTR Commercialization Readiness Pilot (CRP) Program (Parent SB1 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-098
Predoctoral to Postdoctoral Transition Award (Parent F99/K00 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PA-27-037
NIH Brain Development Cohorts (NBDC) and Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study Biospecimen Access (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-051
NIH Research Educational Program - Mentoring Activities & Networks (Parent R25/UE5 - Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PA-27-035
Frequently asked questions
Does being listed as eligible mean my organization qualifies?
No. The applicant type is only the first filter. Most notices add more conditions, such as location, program focus, matching funds or prior experience. Read the eligibility section of the official notice before you apply.
Is GovGrantsUSA a government website?
No. GovGrantsUSA is an independent platform operated by VRLY Ventures LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Opportunity details are summarized from public federal sources such as Grants.gov.
Does it cost anything to apply for a federal grant?
Searching for and applying to federal grants on Grants.gov is free. Be wary of anyone who asks for a fee to "release" a grant or guarantees an award.
How current is this information?
Listings are refreshed from public federal data every day, and each page shows when it was last updated. Agencies can change or cancel a notice at any time, so always confirm details in the official notice.
What do I need before I can apply?
Most applicants through Grants.gov need an active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID (UEI), a Login.gov account and a Grants.gov account linked to their organization. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.