Skip to main content
Independent federal grant matching. Not affiliated with any government agency. Get free access and see which open grants fit your organization.

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

Agriculture Innovation Center Grant Program

Rural Business-Cooperative Service · RBCS-2026-AIC

Deadline: Jan 31, 2027 (107 days left) Up to: $1,000,000 Agriculture

Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial, and Tribal Organizations

Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP · CDC-RFA-DP-27-0023

Deadline: Feb 5, 2027 (112 days left) Health

BRAIN Initiative: Development and Validation of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-MH-26-170

Deadline: Feb 8, 2027 (115 days left) Income security and social services

Carcinogen Hazard Assessment Monographs Program (CHAMP) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-CA-28-013

Deadline: Feb 9, 2027 (116 days left) Up to: $700,000 Health

Silvio O. Conte Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers (P30-Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-DK-27-119

Deadline: Feb 10, 2027 (117 days left) Up to: $750,000 Health

NIDA Animal Genomics Program (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-24-269

Deadline: Feb 11, 2027 (118 days left) Health

BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-DC-27-004

Deadline: Feb 11, 2027 (118 days left) Up to: $700,000 Health

EMERGING FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (EFRI-2026/27): Wave-Based Computing ( EFRI-WBC)

U.S. National Science Foundation · 26-524

Deadline: Feb 11, 2027 (118 days left) Up to: $2,000,000 Environment

Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-HG-25-009

Deadline: Feb 26, 2027 (133 days left) Health

Accelerating Discovery through Partnered Research with All of Us to Analyze Participant Biospecimens (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-069

Deadline: Mar 1, 2027 (136 days left) Health

NIAMS Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-141

Deadline: Mar 4, 2027 (139 days left) Health

High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-25-060

Deadline: Mar 5, 2027 (140 days left) Up to: $1,500,000 Education

Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes for the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-081

Deadline: Mar 5, 2027 (140 days left) Health

Risk and Protective Factors of Family Health and Family Level Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-317

Deadline: Mar 6, 2027 (141 days left) Education

Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · PAR-26-116

Deadline: Mar 6, 2027 (141 days left) Up to: $500,000 Health

High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-25-024

Deadline: Mar 6, 2027 (141 days left) Education

NEA Arts and Artifacts International Indemnity Program 2, FY2027 (3/27)

National Endowment for the Arts · 2027FCAH02

Deadline: Mar 8, 2027 (143 days left) Up to: $100,000 Arts

Continuation of the Cardiovascular Repository for-Type 1 Diabetes (CARE-T1D) Consortium U01 (Open Competition)- Research (U01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)

National Institutes of Health · RFA-DK-27-108

Deadline: Mar 10, 2027 (145 days left) Up to: $500,000 Health

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.