NIH funding in Illinois
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $1.22 billion in grants to organizations in Illinois in fiscal year 2026, 8th among the 50 states and DC. That's $95 per resident, the 16th-highest per person.
- FY2026: $1.22 billion, up 4% from $1.17 billion in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: up 14% ($1.07 billion then).
- Largest recipient: Northwestern University, $440.1 million (36% of the state total).
Illinois NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $1.22 billion in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $1,218,604,821 |
| FY2025 | $1,170,178,368 |
| FY2024 | $1,198,234,156 |
| FY2023 | $1,165,094,722 |
| FY2022 | $1,144,696,938 |
| FY2021 | $1,057,526,752 |
| FY2020 | $1,073,584,482 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in Illinois in FY2026: Northwestern University
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| Northwestern University | $440.1 million |
| The University of Chicago | $277.3 million |
| University of Illinois | $163.8 million |
| University of Illinois | $87.9 million |
| Rush University Medical Center | $54.9 million |
| Ann & Robert H Lurie Childrens Hospital of Chicago | $37.4 million |
| National Opinion Research Center | $27.8 million |
| Loyola University of Chicago | $19.3 million |
| Alliance Nctn Foundation | $18.2 million |
| Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago | $9.2 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 Illinois," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/illinois. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.