Grants for Schools & Universities

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This NIH X01 opportunity provides access to biospecimens (urine, plasma, serum, genomic DNA) and related data from the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study rather than direct research funding. It is aimed at investigators at universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, including various minority-serving institutions and tribal entities. Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations and foreign components are not eligible. No award amounts are listed; this is a resource-access mechanism for researchers, not a general grant for nonprofits, businesses, or individuals.

National Institutes of Health · $3–$500K

This NIH U01 grant funds development and testing of highly innovative experimental or computational approaches for rare disease diagnosis, with clinical trials optional. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, and foreign organizations and foreign components are eligible. The award maximum is about $500,000 (the listed minimum appears to be a data artifact). Eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, businesses, or individuals broadly.

Public Utilities Commission · $50K–$100K

Eligible applicants are 501(c)(3) nonprofit community-based organizations with a demonstrated track record addressing the digital divide, partnered with a low-income urban or rural public school or district. The California Public Utilities Commission will award about three grants of $50,000 to $100,000 (roughly $200,000 total) for projects that address broadband access, affordability, device access, or digital-skills training. Applicants must be in good standing with the California Franchise Tax Board, submit at least three letters of recommendation, and already have a partnership agreement with the beneficiary school or district. Applications are due by October 31, 2026.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This NIH R61 grant supports exploratory clinical trials in arthritis, musculoskeletal, and skin diseases, and a clinical trial is required. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, including various minority-serving institutions and tribal entities. Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations are not eligible to apply, though defined foreign components are allowed. No specific award amounts are listed, and eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals broadly.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This NIH R01 grant funds clinical observational studies in musculoskeletal, rheumatic, and skin diseases. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, including various minority-serving institutions and tribal entities. Foreign (non-U.S.) organizations are not eligible to apply, though defined foreign components are allowed; clinical trials are not permitted under this opportunity. No specific award amounts are listed, and eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals broadly.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds research in topology, including algebraic and geometric topology, homotopy theory, knots, and topological data analysis, plus conferences and travel. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, open to the broad range of NSF-eligible entities (typically universities, nonprofits, and similar research organizations), subject to additional clarifications. No specific award amounts are listed, though conference proposals reference budgets around $50,000. This is a research-focused opportunity; whether a given applicant qualifies depends on standard NSF eligibility, which the notice does not fully detail here.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

This NSF program funds research in geometric analysis, including differential geometry, geometric group theory, geometric data analysis, and related mathematical topics, plus conferences and travel. Eligibility is described as unrestricted, open to the broad range of NSF-eligible entities (typically universities, nonprofits, and similar research organizations), subject to additional clarifications. No specific award amounts are listed, though conference proposals reference budgets around $50,000. This is a research-focused opportunity; whether a given applicant qualifies depends on standard NSF eligibility, which the notice does not fully spell out here.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

This NIH R01 grant supports development of novel theory and methods to understand how genetic and non-genetic factors shape complex human traits, using interdisciplinary modeling and large-scale datasets. It is a research grant aimed primarily at universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, including various minority-serving institutions, tribal entities, and foreign organizations. No award amounts are specified. Clinical trials are not allowed under this opportunity, and the eligibility list is research-institution oriented rather than open to nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals broadly.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $350K

This NIH/NCI R01 grant funds secondary analysis and integration of existing datasets to study cancer risk and related outcomes such as survival and treatment response. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, including various minority-serving institutions, tribal entities, and foreign organizations. The award maximum is about $350,000. Eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, small businesses, or individuals broadly, and applicants typically need access to relevant existing data.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $150K

This NIH/NCI R61 grant funds early-stage, proof-of-concept development of innovative technologies for molecular or cellular characterization of cancer and biospecimen handling; clinical trials are not allowed. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, and foreign organizations and foreign components are eligible. The award maximum is about $150,000. Eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, businesses, or individuals broadly.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $300K

This NIH/NCI R33 grant funds advanced development and technical validation of emerging technologies for molecular or cellular characterization of cancer and biospecimen handling, where feasibility has been shown but further validation is needed; clinical trials are not allowed. It is a research grant for universities, research institutions, and similar eligible organizations, and foreign organizations and foreign components are eligible. The award maximum is about $300,000. Eligibility is oriented toward research institutions rather than nonprofits, businesses, or individuals broadly.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Investigator-Initiated Research Award funding studies that could meaningfully advance spinal cord injury research, patient care, or quality of life, from basic through translational science. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice; an early-career partnership option allows two principal investigators. No award amount is specified. The stated eligibility is broad.

Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA · Amount varies

Department of War (Defense Health Agency) Spinal Cord Injury Research Program Clinical Translation Research Award funding early-stage clinical research (feasibility, pilot, optimization) to prepare for larger spinal cord injury trials or implementation. Eligibility is listed as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to clarification in the full notice; applications must name at least two SCI community partners. No award amount is specified. The stated eligibility is broad, but applicants need clinical research capacity and required partnerships.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $1.1M

NIH (NCCIH) R33 funding for early-phase clinical trials of natural products (botanicals, dietary supplements, probiotics) to confirm target engagement and inform whether further clinical research is warranted. Intended for research institutions; foreign organizations are not eligible. The listed maximum is about $1,050,000. It will not support efficacy or effectiveness trials and requires strong preliminary data, making it narrow research-only funding.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $750K

NIH (NIDA) K12 institutional career-development funding to support mentored research training for clinician-scientists in substance use and substance use disorder research. Intended for institutions that will run a scholar training program; foreign organizations are not eligible and foreign components are not allowed. The listed maximum is about $750,000. This is an institutional training award, not a grant for individuals or general nonprofits.

National Institutes of Health · Amount varies

NIH (NCCIH) R01 funding for mid-phase clinical trials of natural products such as botanicals, dietary supplements, and probiotics that already have strong preliminary data. Intended for research institutions able to conduct hypothesis-driven, milestone-based clinical trials; foreign organizations are not eligible. No dollar amount is stated. It will not support efficacy/effectiveness trials or cancer-treatment trials, and requires substantial prior preliminary data, so it is narrow in scope.

National Institutes of Health · Up to $350K

NIH (NCCIH) phased R61/R33 funding for early-phase clinical trials of natural products (botanicals, probiotics, marketed dietary supplements) with a strong scientific rationale. Suited to research institutions running milestone-driven pharmacokinetic and target-engagement studies; foreign organizations are not eligible. The listed maximum is about $350,000. It is narrow research-only work requiring strong preliminary justification, not a fit for individuals or general nonprofits.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF Plasma Physics program funding research on plasmas across applications from astrophysics to fusion and materials science, generally submitted through the Division of Physics investigator-initiated solicitation. Eligibility is described as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to standard NSF rules, though awards generally go to research institutions and investigators; confirm in the full solicitation. No award amount is specified. Eligibility as stated is broad.

U.S. National Science Foundation · Amount varies

NSF program (ATI) funding the development of new technologies and instrumentation for ground-based astronomy and astrophysics, including high-risk concepts, hardware, and software. Eligibility is described as unrestricted/open to any entity type subject to standard NSF rules, though awards generally go to research institutions and investigators; confirm in the full solicitation. No award amount is specified. Eligibility as stated is broad.

Office of Naval Research · $250K–$500K

Office of Naval Research Broad Agency Announcement funding applied research on communications and networking technologies for naval operations. Open to academia, industry, and the research community worldwide, including small and large businesses; federal labs and FFRDCs cannot receive awards directly but may team with eligible applicants. Awards range from about $250,000 up to $500,000. Eligibility is broad, with the noted exclusions for certain government and federally funded entities.