NIH funding in Arkansas
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $75.5 million in grants to organizations in Arkansas in fiscal year 2026, 39th among the 50 states and DC. That's $25 per resident, the 45th-highest per person.
- FY2026: $75.5 million, down 19% from $92.9 million in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: up 1% ($75.0 million then).
- Largest recipient: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, $48.7 million (65% of the state total).
Arkansas NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $75.5 million in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $75,467,573 |
| FY2025 | $92,899,954 |
| FY2024 | $106,829,542 |
| FY2023 | $104,621,372 |
| FY2022 | $101,364,201 |
| FY2021 | $90,749,247 |
| FY2020 | $75,008,022 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in Arkansas in FY2026: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences | $48.7 million |
| University of Arkansas | $19.9 million |
| Arkansas Children's Research Institute | $13.8 million |
| Biostrategies Lc | $1.5 million |
| Cellia Science, Inc. | $927,466 |
| Biomedical Research Foundation | $720,513 |
| Arkansas Colleges of Health Education | $646,459 |
| Auxigen Llc | $308,890 |
| Kuria Therapeutics, Inc. | $306,805 |
| Tocol Pharmaceuticals Llc | $299,882 |
Recipient names as USAspending lists them. Hospitals and universities often receive grants under a legal name that differs from the name people use.
How it's counted
- NIH grant obligations (project grants, cooperative agreements and other assistance awards) in USAspending, by the state of the recipient's address.
- Obligations are net: money taken back from ended or cut grants is subtracted in the year it happens.
- Per-resident figures use the Census 2020 population USAspending reports.
- Computed by a Grantsights script from the public USAspending API. See data sources.
What this doesn't show
- Money spent. Obligations are commitments; spending can lag by years.
- Where the work happens. Subawards to other states count where the prime recipient is.
- NIH's own totals, which count awards differently, or NIH contracts and intramural research.
- Success rates. For those, see NIH R01 success rates.
Compare every state on NIH funding by state, or download the CSV. Cite as: Grantsights, "NIH funding in Arkansas," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/arkansas. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.