NIH funding in Tennessee
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $656.6 million in grants to organizations in Tennessee in fiscal year 2026, 17th among the 50 states and DC. That's $95 per resident, the 17th-highest per person.
- FY2026: $656.6 million, down 7% from $702.7 million in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: down 2% ($669.4 million then).
- Largest recipient: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, $347.5 million (53% of the state total).
Tennessee NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $656.6 million in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $656,633,015 |
| FY2025 | $702,732,960 |
| FY2024 | $750,917,549 |
| FY2023 | $680,151,668 |
| FY2022 | $687,991,082 |
| FY2021 | $642,185,136 |
| FY2020 | $669,442,633 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in Tennessee in FY2026: Vanderbilt University Medical Center
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $347.5 million |
| Vanderbilt University | $121.7 million |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital Inc | $103.7 million |
| University of Tennessee | $35.4 million |
| Meharry Medical College | $14.6 million |
| University of Tennessee | $10.3 million |
| East Tennessee State University | $8.8 million |
| University of Memphis | $5.2 million |
| Baptist Memorial Hospital-tipton | $1.3 million |
| Corami Biotech, Inc. | $1.2 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 Tennessee," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/tennessee. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.