NIH funding in Montana
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $37.0 million in grants to organizations in Montana in fiscal year 2026, 45th among the 50 states and DC. That's $34 per resident, the 42nd-highest per person.
- FY2026: $37.0 million, down 9% from $40.7 million in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: down 15% ($43.5 million then).
- Largest recipient: Montana State University, $15.2 million (41% of the state total).
Montana NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $37.0 million in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $36,955,336 |
| FY2025 | $40,737,444 |
| FY2024 | $36,147,014 |
| FY2023 | $30,560,822 |
| FY2022 | $35,066,453 |
| FY2021 | $37,489,241 |
| FY2020 | $43,540,526 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in Montana in FY2026: Montana State University
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| Montana State University | $15.2 million |
| University of Montana | $14.6 million |
| The Mclaughlin Research Institute for Biomedical Sciences, Inc. | $3.8 million |
| Montana Cancer Consortium | $1.0 million |
| Golden Helix Inc | $945,358 |
| Montana State Univ. Billings | $484,014 |
| Salish Kootenai College, Inc. | $403,747 |
| Opio Connect, Inc | $356,648 |
| Fort Belknap Indian Community | $342,689 |
| Hopa Mountain, Inc. | $266,800 |
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 Montana," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/montana. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.