Well Told Grants

Federal grant programs / Department of Health and Human Services

Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research (93.846)

Also known as NIAMS

Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research (Assistance Listing 93.846) is run by the National Institutes of Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It awarded $2.6 billion in 2,898 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $908,452 per award on average. 62 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.

The typical award was $520,761. Half of the 2,897 awards fell between $269,070 and $1.4 million, and they ranged from $0 to $10.5 million.

Key findings

What the program funds

The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) mission is to support research into the causes, treatment, and prevention of arthritis and musculoskeletal and skin diseases; training of basic and clinical scientists to carry out this research; and dissemination of information on research progress in these diseases. The Extramural Program promotes and supports basic, translational, and clinical studies of Systemic Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases, Skin Biology and Diseases, Bone Biology and Diseases, Muscle Biology and Diseases, and Joint Biology and Diseases and Orthopaedics. NIAMS Systemic Rheumatic and Autoimmune Diseases programs address basic, translational, and clinical research, including clinical trials and observational and mechanistic studies, focused on immune-mediated arthritis and autoimmune-related acute and chronic disorders in adults and children. NIAMS Skin Biology and Diseases programs support basic, translational, and clinical research in skin, including both common and rare skin diseases. These programs include investigations of the basic molecular, cellular, and developmental biology of skin, as well as studies of skin as an immune, sensory, endocrine, and metabolic organ. NIAMS Bone Biology and Diseases programs support research on the control of bone formation, resorption, and mineralization as well as the effects of signaling molecules on bone cells. They support clinical studies of interventions to prevent fractures associated with osteoporosis and research into less common bone diseases. NIAMS Muscle Biology and Diseases programs encourage research on muscle developmental biology, growth, maintenance, and hypertrophy; physiology of contraction; structural biology of the contractile apparatus; disease mechanisms; biomarkers and outcome measures; and development and clinical testing of therapies for conditions including the muscular dystrophies. NIAMS Joint Biology, Diseases, and Orthopaedics programs support a broad spectrum of research centered on the interplay among the body’s muscles, bones, and connective tissues. They encourage tissue engineering and regenerative medicine research, molecular biology, imaging, and clinical research, and the treatment and prevention of orthopaedic conditions. NIAMS participates in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. The SBIR program is intended to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development; to increase small business participation in Federal research and development; and to foster and encourage participation of socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns in technological innovation. The STTR program is intended to stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research and development carried out between small business concerns and research institutions; to foster technology transfer between small business concerns and research institutions; to increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from Federal research and development; and to foster and encourage participation of socially and economically disadvantaged small business concerns and women-owned small business concerns in technological innovation.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

37 more opportunities are listed with all open grants from Department of Health and Human Services.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Research Grants: Individuals and public and private institutions, both nonprofit and for-profit, who propose to establish, expand, and improve research activities in health sciences and related fields. National Research Service Awards: Individuals must be nominated and sponsored by a public or private, for-profit or nonprofit institution having staff and facilities appropriate to the proposed research training program. All awardees must be citizens or have been admitted to the United States for permanent residence. To be eligible, predoctoral awardees must have completed the baccalaureate degree and postdoctoral awardees must have a professional or scientific degree (M.D., Ph.D., D.D.S., D.O., D.V.M., Sc.D., D. Eng., or equivalent domestic or foreign degree). Nonprofit domestic organizations may apply for the Institutional National Research Service grant. Small Business Innovation Research grants can be awarded only to domestic small businesses (entities that are independently owned and operated for profit, are not dominant in the field in which research is proposed, and have no more than 500 employees). Primary employment (more than one-half time) of the principal investigator must be with the small business at the time of award and during the conduct of the proposed project. In both Phase I and Phase II, the research must be performed in the U.S. or its possessions.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Research Grants provide funds for salaries, equipment, supplies, travel, and other expenses associated with scientific investigation relevant to program objectives. Individual National Research Service Awards (NRSAs) are made to individuals for research training in specified biomedical shortage areas. In addition, grants may be made to institutions to enable them to make NRSAs to individuals selected by them. Each individual who receives a NRSA is obligated upon termination of the award to comply with certain service and payback provisions. Small Business Innovation Research Phase I grants (of approximately 6-months' duration) are to establish the technical merit and feasibility of a proposed research effort that may lead to a commercial product or process. Phase II grants are for the continuation of the research initiated in Phase I that are likely to result in commercial products or processes. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to receive Phase II support. STTR Phase I grants (normally of 1-year duration) are to determine the scientific, technical, and commercial merit and feasibility of the proposed cooperative effort that has potential for commercial application. Phase II funding is based on results of research initiated in Phase I and scientific and technical merit and commercial potential on Phase II application.

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Research Grants: $1 to $1,937050/Average Size: $361,815 National Research Service Awards: $5,496 to $691,170/Average Size: $157,706; SBIR: Phase 1 awards -- approximately $271,375; Phase II awards --approximately $859,296; STTR: Phase 1 awards -- approximately $273,335; Phase II awards --approximately $811,438.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Funding history and past recipients

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research (93.846) awarded$2.6 billion across 2,898 grant awards, an average of $908,452 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania104$104 million
Brigham & Womens Hospital IncMassachusetts89$95.7 million
The Regents of the University of California, San FranciscoCalifornia84$93.3 million
The Washington UniversityMissouri88$72.4 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan73$68.0 million
The General Hospital CorporationMassachusetts59$63.5 million
Duke UniversityNorth Carolina60$59.6 million
Yale UnivConnecticut52$58.9 million
The Leland Stanford Junior UniversityCalifornia57$56.8 million
New York UniversityNew York46$56.6 million
Northwestern UniversityIllinois46$51.5 million
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationPennsylvania47$48.8 million
University of WashingtonWashington33$48.7 million
University of RochesterNew York44$48.3 million
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York36$48.2 million
University of FloridaFlorida42$45.8 million
University of California, Los AngelesCalifornia37$43.7 million
The Regents of the University of ColoradoColorado36$42.7 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York47$40.7 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland49$40.5 million

Top states: California ($338 million), New York ($315 million), Massachusetts ($310 million), Pennsylvania ($225 million), North Carolina ($118 million), Illinois ($101 million), Connecticut ($96.0 million), Texas ($87.3 million), Michigan ($86.4 million), Ohio ($80.5 million).

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 74% of the money, nonprofits 19% and small businesses 3.7%.

Recipient typeAwardsAmountShare
Colleges and universities2,087$2.0 billion74%
Nonprofits568$502 million19%
Small businesses153$98.5 million3.7%
Other88$76.3 million2.9%
Tribal governments and organizations1$1.1 millionless than 0.1%
State and local governments1$674,665less than 0.1%

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Grants by recipient's state, fiscal 2021 to 2025
StateAwardsAmount
California349$338 million
New York302$315 million
Massachusetts311$310 million
Pennsylvania239$225 million
North Carolina135$118 million
Illinois109$101 million
Connecticut97$96.0 million
Texas103$87.3 million
Michigan93$86.4 million
Ohio94$80.5 million
Minnesota89$80.1 million
Missouri102$79.6 million
Washington60$79.0 million
Maryland103$74.1 million
Colorado68$62.0 million
Florida63$58.0 million
Virginia46$39.5 million
Georgia47$35.1 million
Indiana44$34.7 million
Oklahoma22$32.3 million
Alabama30$31.7 million
Tennessee44$26.2 million
Oregon31$25.9 million
Arizona24$21.5 million
Utah26$21.3 million
Wisconsin30$21.1 million
South Carolina27$20.2 million
New Jersey22$17.5 million
Kentucky18$14.0 million
Rhode Island42$10.8 million
Maine13$10.5 million
Iowa17$10.0 million
New Hampshire11$9.6 million
District of Columbia12$9.2 million
Delaware14$8.2 million
Nebraska11$7.2 million
Arkansas10$6.9 million
Nevada4$5.7 million
Louisiana8$4.8 million
Vermont7$4.0 million
Kansas7$3.7 million
Montana3$3.0 million
West Virginia4$2.4 million
Mississippi2$1.5 million

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.