Well Told Grants

Federal grant programs / Department of Health and Human Services

Aging Research (93.866)

Also known as (Aging)

Aging Research (Assistance Listing 93.866) is run by the National Institutes of Health, part of the Department of Health and Human Services. It awarded $19 billion in 11,026 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $1.7 million per award on average. 119 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.

The typical award was $696,857. Half of the 11,026 awards fell between $352,175 and $1.9 million, and they ranged from $0 to $142 million.

Key findings

What the program funds

To encourage biomedical, social, and behavioral research and research training directed toward greater understanding of the aging process and the diseases, special problems, and needs of people as they age. The National Institute on Aging has established programs to pursue these goals. The Division of Aging Biology emphasizes understanding the basic biological processes of aging. The Division of Geriatrics and Clinical Gerontology supports research to improve the abilities of health care practitioners to respond to the diseases and other clinical problems of older people. The Division of Behavioral and Social Research supports research that will lead to greater understanding of the social, cultural, economic and psychological factors that affect both the process of growing old and the place of older people in society. The Division of Neuroscience fosters research concerned with the age-related changes in the nervous system as well as the related sensory, perceptual, and cognitive processes associated with aging and has a special emphasis on Alzheimer's disease. Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program: To expand and improve the SBIR program; 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. Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program: To stimulate and foster scientific and technological innovation through cooperative research 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 and forecast opportunities

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

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

Grants: Universities, colleges, medical, dental and nursing schools, schools of public health, laboratories, hospitals, State and local health departments, other public or private institutions (both for-profit and nonprofit), and individuals. National Research Service Award: Individual NRSAs may be made for postdoctoral training to applicants who hold 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) or for predoctoral training to applicants registered for doctoral research training. Institutional NRSAs may be made for both predoctoral and postdoctoral research training. Predoctoral awardees must have a baccalaureate degree. Applicants must be citizens of the United States or admitted for permanent residency. Individual NRSA awardees must be nominated and sponsored by a public or private nonprofit institution having staff and facilities suitable to the proposed research training. Nonprofit domestic organizations may apply for the Institutional NRSA. SBIR 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.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

What the money can and cannot pay for

Research grants are intended to support the direct costs of a project in accordance with an approved budget, plus an appropriate amount for facilities and administrative costs. Grantees must agree to administer the grant in accordance with the regulations and policies governing the research grants program of the Public Health Service. National Research Service Awards (NRSA) (Individual) are made directly to approved applicants for research training in specified biomedical shortage areas. In addition, National Research Service Awards (Institutional) may be made to institutions to enable them to make NRSAs to individuals selected by them. Each individual who receives a postdoctoral NRSA is obligated, upon termination of the award, to comply with certain service and payback provisions. Regulations are published in the Code of Federal Regulations and 42 CFR, Part 66. SBIR 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. SBIR Phase II grants are for the continuation of the research initiated in Phase I and that are likely to result in commercial products or processes. Only Phase I awardees are eligible to apply for 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.

Continue reading on SAM.gov

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.

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Awards vary in range depending on the particular activity codes. Individual fellowships range from $23,376 to $57,504 and average about $46,000. Research grants have much larger ranges - from $75,000 to several million dollars. Average costs of research grants are around $400,000. All costs are shown on a single year basis. Awards may be for up to five years.

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, Aging Research (93.866) awarded $19 billion across 11,026 grant awards, an average of $1.7 million per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
The Regents of the University of California, San FranciscoCalifornia337$575 million
The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New YorkNew York242$574 million
University of Southern CaliforniaCalifornia203$572 million
The Washington UniversityMissouri210$556 million
Regents of the University of MichiganMichigan232$538 million
The Johns Hopkins UniversityMaryland267$473 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania230$435 million
The General Hospital CorporationMassachusetts277$427 million
University of Pittsburgh - of the Commonwealth System of Higher EducationPennsylvania171$425 million
University of Wisconsin SystemWisconsin147$409 million
Trustees of Indiana UniversityIndiana126$339 million
Emory UniversityGeorgia155$295 million
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiNew York164$294 million
University of California, San DiegoCalifornia182$293 million
Trustees of Boston UniversityMassachusetts119$290 million
Duke UniversityNorth Carolina146$279 million
University of WashingtonWashington149$263 million
Brigham & Womens Hospital IncMassachusetts132$262 million
Mayo Clinic Jacksonville (a Nonprofit Corporation)Minnesota110$255 million
Northwestern UniversityIllinois131$235 million

Top states: California ($3.4 billion), New York ($2.0 billion), Massachusetts ($1.8 billion), Pennsylvania ($1.0 billion), Texas ($912 million), Florida ($753 million), North Carolina ($741 million), Maryland ($638 million), Illinois ($631 million), Michigan ($609 million).

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 73% of the money, nonprofits 18% and small businesses 4.8%.

Recipient typeAwardsAmountShare
Colleges and universities8,115$14 billion73%
Nonprofits1,851$3.3 billion18%
Small businesses625$890 million4.8%
Other429$702 million3.8%
Businesses3$36.9 million0.2%
Tribal governments and organizations1$4.2 millionless than 0.1%
Individuals1$108,8130%
State and local governments1$69,2710%

By state

52 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.

Grants by recipient's state, fiscal 2021 to 2025
StateAwardsAmount
California1,865$3.4 billion
New York1,117$2.0 billion
Massachusetts1,129$1.8 billion
Pennsylvania583$1.0 billion
Texas561$912 million
Florida425$753 million
North Carolina428$741 million
Maryland432$638 million
Illinois361$631 million
Michigan305$609 million
Missouri261$583 million
Minnesota299$543 million
Washington219$454 million
Wisconsin175$434 million
Georgia246$403 million
Indiana189$397 million
Arizona139$381 million
Ohio275$327 million
Connecticut215$285 million
Tennessee166$263 million
Rhode Island159$221 million
Colorado160$173 million
Alabama135$168 million
Kentucky113$139 million
Virginia127$126 million
Kansas74$122 million
Oregon91$119 million
New Jersey94$106 million
Louisiana54$95.5 million
South Carolina70$69.9 million
Utah64$67.3 million
Oklahoma62$62.8 million
District of Columbia68$54.1 million
Maine32$46.2 million
Iowa60$39.9 million
New Hampshire20$37.7 million
New Mexico23$32.2 million
Nebraska22$24.8 million
Vermont19$23.8 million
Delaware26$20.7 million
West Virginia13$15.5 million
North Dakota18$13.7 million
Nevada16$12.8 million
Arkansas12$11.6 million
American Samoa3$10.7 million
Mississippi12$8.7 million
Hawaii10$7.1 million
Montana8$6.7 million
Wyoming7$5.0 million
South Dakota6$4.3 million
Idaho2$1.7 million
Puerto Rico5$1.5 million
Alaska3$605,072

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