Open federal grants for colleges and universities
468 open opportunities as of Oct 16, 2026.
Independent platform. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Data from public federal sources.
Colleges and universities are eligible for a large share of federal research and education funding. Notices list public and state institutions and private institutions separately, and many research programs also have rules about the lead investigator and the sponsored programs office that submits the application.
The list below shows every open opportunity in our database whose official notice lists colleges and universities as an eligible applicant type. Each listing links to a summary page and to the official notice.
Being in an eligible group is only the first check. Read the eligibility section of each notice for location, program focus, cost sharing and other conditions before you start an application.
Open opportunities
Agriculture Innovation Center Grant Program
Rural Business-Cooperative Service · RBCS-2026-AIC
Cancer Prevention and Control Programs for State, Territorial, and Tribal Organizations
Centers for Disease Control - NCCDPHP · CDC-RFA-DP-27-0023
BRAIN Initiative: Development and Validation of Novel Tools to Probe Cell-Specific and Circuit-Specific Processes in the Brain (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-MH-26-170
Neural Ensembles & Used Substances (NExUS) Collaboratory: Building a Multimodal Inventory of Cell Ensembles Encoding the Effects of Addictive Substances (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-28-013
Carcinogen Hazard Assessment Monographs Program (CHAMP) (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-CA-28-013
Silvio O. Conte Digestive Diseases Research Core Centers (P30-Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DK-27-119
NIDA Animal Genomics Program (U01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-24-269
BRAIN Initiative: Exploratory Research Opportunities Using Invasive Neural Recording and Stimulating Technologies in the Human Brain (R61 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DC-27-004
EMERGING FRONTIERS IN RESEARCH AND INNOVATION (EFRI-2026/27): Wave-Based Computing ( EFRI-WBC)
U.S. National Science Foundation · 26-524
Accelerating Research and Development of Next Generation Vaccines against Malaria - a Model for Mosquito-Borne Diseases (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-AI-28-024
Supporting Talented Early Career Researchers in Genomics (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-HG-25-009
Accelerating Discovery through Partnered Research with All of Us to Analyze Participant Biospecimens (X01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-069
NIAMS Clinical Trial Implementation Cooperative Agreement (UG3/UH3 Clinical Trial Required)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-141
High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research (RM1 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-25-060
Discovery of in vivo Chemical Probes for the Nervous System (R01 Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-27-081
Risk and Protective Factors of Family Health and Family Level Interventions (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-25-317
Opportunities for Collaborative Research at the NIH Clinical Center (U01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · PAR-26-116
High Priority HIV and Substance Use Research (R01 Clinical Trial Optional)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DA-25-024
NEA Arts and Artifacts International Indemnity Program 2, FY2027 (3/27)
National Endowment for the Arts · 2027FCAH02
Continuation of the Cardiovascular Repository for-Type 1 Diabetes (CARE-T1D) Consortium U01 (Open Competition)- Research (U01, Clinical Trial Not Allowed)
National Institutes of Health · RFA-DK-27-108
Frequently asked questions
Does being listed as eligible mean my organization qualifies?
No. The applicant type is only the first filter. Most notices add more conditions, such as location, program focus, matching funds or prior experience. Read the eligibility section of the official notice before you apply.
Is GovGrantsUSA a government website?
No. GovGrantsUSA is an independent platform operated by VRLY Ventures LLC. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency. Opportunity details are summarized from public federal sources such as Grants.gov.
Does it cost anything to apply for a federal grant?
Searching for and applying to federal grants on Grants.gov is free. Be wary of anyone who asks for a fee to "release" a grant or guarantees an award.
How current is this information?
Listings are refreshed from public federal data every day, and each page shows when it was last updated. Agencies can change or cancel a notice at any time, so always confirm details in the official notice.
What do I need before I can apply?
Most applicants through Grants.gov need an active SAM.gov registration with a Unique Entity ID (UEI), a Login.gov account and a Grants.gov account linked to their organization. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.