NIH funding in Virginia
Updated October 13, 2026 · Refreshed when USAspending posts new fiscal-year data · Published by Grantsights
NIH obligated $460.9 million in grants to organizations in Virginia in fiscal year 2026, 20th among the 50 states and DC. That's $53 per resident, the 32nd-highest per person.
- FY2026: $460.9 million, down 2% from $468.9 million in FY2025.
- Since FY2020: up 26% ($366.9 million then).
- Largest recipient: Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia, $233.4 million (51% of the state total).
Virginia NIH grant obligations by fiscal year: $460.9 million in FY2026
| Fiscal year | NIH grant obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $460,867,717 |
| FY2025 | $468,860,509 |
| FY2024 | $426,674,328 |
| FY2023 | $446,747,954 |
| FY2022 | $418,141,107 |
| FY2021 | $358,235,062 |
| FY2020 | $366,871,570 |
Source: USAspending.gov, NIH grant obligations by recipient location, pulled October 13, 2026.
Who received the most NIH grant money in Virginia in FY2026: Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia
| Recipient | FY2026 obligations |
|---|---|
| Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | $233.4 million |
| Virginia Commonwealth University | $112.4 million |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University | $55.8 million |
| George Mason University | $16.0 million |
| Old Dominion University | $11.2 million |
| American College of Radiology | $8.3 million |
| College of William and Mary | $2.3 million |
| The Tiny Cargo Company | $2.0 million |
| Beam Diagnostics Inc | $1.7 million |
| Barron Associates, Inc. | $1.5 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 Virginia," updated October 13, 2026, https://grantsights.com/research/nih-funding-by-state/virginia. Data: USAspending.gov.
Who won specific NIH awards: R01, K99/R00, R15 and F31 award histories.