NIH funding in District of Columbia
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $179.7 million in grants to organizations in District of Columbia in fiscal year 2026, 32nd among the 50 states and DC. That's $261 per resident, the 2nd-highest per person.
- FY2026: $179.7 million, down 1% from $181.2 million in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: down 18% ($219.2 million then).
- Largest recipient: George Washington University (the), $73.8 million (41% of the state total).
District of Columbia NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $179.7 million in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $179,695,526 |
| FY2025 | $181,187,009 |
| FY2024 | $205,459,512 |
| FY2023 | $201,352,116 |
| FY2022 | $211,077,613 |
| FY2021 | $212,462,045 |
| FY2020 | $219,215,357 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in District of Columbia in FY2026: George Washington University (the)
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| George Washington University (the) | $73.8 million |
| Georgetown University | $55.6 million |
| Children's Research Institute | $27.1 million |
| Howard University | $8.9 million |
| International Brotherhood of Teamsters | $3.4 million |
| Catholic University of America (the) | $3.0 million |
| International Association of Firefighters | $2.7 million |
| American University | $1.9 million |
| American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Inc. | $1.8 million |
| Whitman-walker Institute Inc | $1.1 million |
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 District of Columbia," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/district-of-columbia. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.