research grant

• U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

• Virtual Tour
• Staff Directory
• En Español

You are here

Grants & funding.

The National Institutes of Health is the largest public funder of biomedical research in the world. In fiscal year 2022, NIH invested most of its $45 billion appropriations in research seeking to enhance life, and to reduce illness and disability. NIH-funded research has led to breakthroughs and new treatments helping people live longer, healthier lives, and building the research foundation that drives discovery.

three-scientists-goggles-test-tube.jpg

Grants Home Page

NIH’s central resource for grants and funding information.

lab-glassware-with-colorful-liquid-square.jpg

Find Funding

NIH offers funding for many types of grants, contracts, and even programs that help repay loans for researchers.

calendar-page-square.jpg

Grant applications and associated documents (e.g., reference letters) are due by 5:00 PM local time of application organization on the specified due date.

submit-key-red-square.jpg

How to Apply

Instructions for submitting a grant application to NIH and other Public Health Service agencies.

female-researcher-in-lab-square.jpg

About Grants

An orientation to NIH funding, grant programs, how the grants process works, and how to apply.

binder-with-papers-on-office-desk-square.jpg

Policy & Compliance

By accepting a grant award, recipients agree to comply with the requirements in the NIH Grants Policy Statement unless the notice of award states otherwise.

blog-key-blue-square.jpg

Grants News/Blog

News, updates, and blog posts on NIH extramural grant policies, processes, events, and resources.

scientist-flipping-through-report-square.jpg

Explore opportunities at NIH for research and development contract funding.

smiling-female-researcher-square.jpg

Loan Repayment

The NIH Loan Repayment Programs repay up to $50,000 annually of a researcher’s qualified educational debt in return for a commitment to engage in NIH mission-relevant research.

Connect with Us

• More Social Media from NIH

Field-Initiated Research Grant Programs

Research grants, our research grants are not designed for applicants to respond to a specific request – they are what you, scholars in the field, think we need to know more about..

The goal of all of our research grants is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically  sound  research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. We value work that fosters creative and open-minded scholarship, engages in deep inquiry, and examines robust questions related to education. We seek to support scholarship that develops new foundational knowledge that may also have a lasting impact on policy-making, practice, or educational discourse.  

Racial Equity Research Grants

Applications Open: March 18, 2024

Intent to Apply Form Deadline May 29, 2024, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/Chicago Time)

Full Proposal Deadline: June 27, 2024, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/Chicago Time)

Research Grants on Education: Large

Applications Open: April 3, 2024

Intent to Apply May 22, 2024, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/USA Time)

Full Proposal Deadline: June 18, 2024, 12:00 PM Noon (Central/USA Time)

Research Grants on Education: Small

Applications Open: Now closed.

Research-Practice Partnerships: Collaborative research for educational change

More from funding opportunities, what do we fund.

Training Grants

Fellowships for Scholars and Journalists

Field building grants, programs to promote collaboration and cross-disciplinary learning, find out more about us.

The Spencer Foundation invests in education research that cultivates learning and transforms lives.

Board of directors.

Work at Spencer

Learn about Opportunities to Join our Staff

We are committed to diversity, equity and inclusion.

Find Out More About Our Legacy

Lyle M. Spencer established the Spencer Foundation in 1962 to investigate ways education, broadly conceived, might be improved.

Lyle M. Spencer

Who was Lyle M. Spencer?

Learn about our founder.

Spencer History

Our Path to the Present

Find out more about funding opportunities.

We support high-quality, innovative research on education, broadly conceived.

Read Our News

Recently Awarded Small Grants

Recently awarded large grants, announcement.

Spencer welcomes new Directors

Find out what we're learning, white paper.

Improving Equity in U.S. Higher Education: A Call for Equity-enhancing Opportunity Structures

Wall to Wall: Examining the Ecology of Racial and Educational Inequality with Research

Race-conscious Preparation and Support Approaches for Asian, Black, Latinx, and Native K-12 Leaders

Browse our resources and tools, resources and tools.

Grant Archive

Explore our Library of Past Awards

For applicants.

Resources and Tools For Applicants

NIH offers funding for many types of grants, contracts, and even programs that help repay loans for researchers. Learn about these programs, as well as about NIH's budget process, grant funding strategies, and policies, and more.

Find Grant Funding

(nih guide to grants and contracts).

The NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts is our official publication for NIH grant policies, guidelines and funding opportunities. We publish daily and issue a table of contents weekly. Subscribe to receive updates today!

View all Parent Announcements   (for unsolicited applications) 

Other Transactions

Research Training and Career Development Programs

Loan Repayment Programs

Extramural Diversity

NIH Funding Strategies

Learn about the NIH budget process, grant funding strategies for each NIH Institute and Center, and more.

This page last updated on: September 21, 2023

• Bookmark & Share
• E-mail Updates
• Help Downloading Files
• Privacy Notice
• Accessibility
• National Institutes of Health (NIH), 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, Maryland 20892
• NIH... Turning Discovery Into Health

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS. A lock ( Lock Locked padlock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Funding Search

Scientific ocean drilling coordination office for the division of ocean sciences, molecular foundations for sustainability: sustainable polymers enabled by emerging data analytics (mfs-speed).

• Letter of intent required
• Additional upcoming deadlines

Using Long-Term Research Associated Data (ULTRA-Data)

Encourages submission of proposals for projects that use/reuse long-term environmental data to advance understanding of ecological and evolutionary questions.

National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Institutional Partnership Pilot Program

Joint national science foundation and united states department of agriculture national institute of food and agriculture funding opportunity: supporting foundational research in robotics (frr).

Invites proposals to a joint NSF-USDA collaboration to advance foundational research in agricultural robotics.

NSF Regional Innovation Engines (NSF Engines)

Supports multi-sector coalitions focused on accelerating technology, workforce development and economic growth within a particular region of service.

• Preliminary proposal required

Expanding Geographic and Institutional Diversity in Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBE)

Encourages new proposal submissions and supplemental funding requests led by institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions to support education, research capacity, workforce development and professional development in the social, behavioral and economic sciences.

Enhancing STEM Education, Research Capacity, and Workforce Development in Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Jurisdictions

Encourages new proposal submissions to EDU programs and supplemental funding requests to existing EDU awards led by institutions in EPSCoR jurisdictions to support STEM education, research capacity, workforce development and professional development.

Cyberinfrastructure for Public Access and Open Science (CI PAOS)

Supports early-stage socio-technical partnerships focused on research data infrastructure ecosystems.

Full proposals submitted via Research.gov: NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide proposal preparation guidelines apply.

Full proposals submitted via Grants.gov: NSF Grants.gov Application Guide: A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications via Grants.gov guidelines apply.

IUSE/Professional Formation of Engineers: Revolutionizing Engineering Departments (IUSE/PFE: RED)

Supports fundamental changes to the training of undergraduate engineering students that equip them with the technical and professional skills needed to solve complex societal problems.

Catalyzing human-centered solutions through research and innovation in science, the environment and society

Invites planning proposals for interdisciplinary research to create evidence-based solutions that strengthen human resilience, security, and quality of life by addressing seemingly intractable challenges that confront society.

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP)

Centers of research excellence in science and technology - research infrastructure for science and engineering (crest-rise).

Supports the expansion of research and education capabilities of minority-serving institutions to strengthen their science and engineering graduate programs and the successful production of research doctoral students.

Foundations for Digital Twins as Catalyzers of Biomedical Technological Innovation (FDT-BioTech)

Supports interdisciplinary research projects that explore the mathematical and engineering foundations behind the development and use of digital twins in biomedical and healthcare applications.

Data Science Corps (DSC)

Supports data science education and training by engaging students in real-world implementation projects in partnership with organizations and communities — helping to build a strong national data science infrastructure and workforce.

Mathematical Foundations of Digital Twins (MATH-DT)

Supports foundational mathematical and statistical research on digital twins in applied science to harness science, technology and innovation to address society’s most pressing challenges.

Research Internships for Graduate Students at U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Army Research Laboratory and Ground Vehicle Systems Center (NSF-DEVCOM INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity

Invites supplemental funding requests to enable graduate students to pursue research internships and training opportunities on relevant topics at the DEVCOM ARL or DEVCOM GVSC that will complement the student’s academic research training.

Nordic-U.S. Research Collaboration on Sustainable Development of the Arctic

Encourages interdisciplinary research proposals in collaboration with Nordic and Canadian research communities to engage Indigenous perspectives and address security, natural resources and societal changes for the sustainable development of the Arctic.

Innovative Use of Scientific Collections (IUSC)

Encourages proposals that foster innovative and diverse uses of collections and/or associated digital data for novel research, education and training applications within and across STEM.

Funding Opportunities for Science and Engineering Research with Impact on Women's Health

Encourages research and education proposals related to women's health topics, from the molecular to the ecosystem level, including input from the full range of science, engineering and education that NSF supports.

Emerging Mathematical Tools applied to Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Disease

Encourages proposals that enhance our knowledge of pathogen transmission dynamics through novel technologies, such as remote sensing, precision treatment and mathematical or computational models, including artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Focus on Recruiting Emerging Climate and Adaptation Scientists and Transformers (FORECAST)

Supports education and capacity building at emerging research institutions that will prepare students to conduct community and partner-engaged science to benefit society.

Piloting Departmental-level Systemic Change for Equity

Encourages proposals to understand and support the role of STEM departments in institutionalizing change strategies that promote equitable policies and practices for graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty.

NSF Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board Administrative Support Office

Global centers (gc).

Supports innovative collaborative international centers for interdisciplinary use-inspired research to address global bioeconomy challenges, in partnership with funding agencies in Canada, Japan, Republic of Korea, Finland and the United Kingdom.