NIH funding by state · Fiscal year 2026
NIH Funding in Tennessee
Reviewed by Dr. Meng ZhaoLast reviewed October 16, 2026Data refreshed October 16, 2026Editorial standards
Tennessee institutions received $709.8M in NIH award funding in fiscal year 2026 across 1,195 award records to 23 recipients, ranking #17 among 55 states and territories with 2.0% of NIH funding to U.S. recipients, down 13.9% from FY2025. Vanderbilt University Medical Center received 53.4% of the state total.
FY2026 closed on September 30, 2026, but NIH keeps posting that year's awards to RePORTER for several weeks. FY2026 figures reflect records available on October 16, 2026 and may rise slightly at the next refresh.
FY2026 NIH funding
$709.8M
−13.9% vs FY2025
Rank among states
#17
#15 in FY2025
NIH recipients
23
1,195 award records
Largest recipient
53%
Vanderbilt University Medical Center, $378.8M
Tennessee institutions ranked by NIH funding, FY2026
| TN | Institution | FY2026 | vs FY2025 | Awards | U.S. rank | Top IC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University Medical CenterNashville, TN · Hospital | $378.8M | −16.5% | 515 | #23 | NHLBI |
| 2 | Vanderbilt UniversityNashville, TN · Higher education | $123.0M | −7.2% | 321 | #71 | NIGMS |
| 3 | St. Jude Children's Research HospitalMemphis, TN · Hospital | $118.5M | −9.5% | 163 | #74 | NCI |
| 4 | University of Tennessee Health Science CenterMemphis, TN · Higher education | $38.6M | −22.9% | 73 | #170 | NIAID |
| 5 | Meharry Medical CollegeNashville, TN · Higher education | $14.8M | −31.3% | 25 | #261 | NIMHD |
| 6 | University of Tennessee, KnoxvilleKnoxville, TN · Higher education | $10.2M | −17.0% | 31 | #303 | NIGMS |
| 7 | East Tennessee State UniversityJohnson City, TN · Higher education | $9.0M | +63.6% | 25 | #318 | NIAID |
| 8 | University of MemphisMemphis, TN · Higher education | $5.2M | +70.2% | 13 | #413 | NIBIB |
| 9 | Oak Ridge Associated UniversitiesOak Ridge, TN · Research institute | $1.7M | −42.2% | 2 | #719 | OD |
| 10 | Baptist Memorial Hospital - TiptonCovington, TN · Hospital | $1.3M | +23.9% | 1 | #875 | NCI |
| 11 | Corami Biotech Inc.Memphis, TN · Company | $1.2M | −9.9% | 1 | #963 | NHLBI |
| 12 | Tennessee State UniversityNashville, TN · Higher education | $1.1M | −43.6% | 4 | #1007 | NIGMS |
| 13 | Virtuoso Surgical, Inc.Nashville, TN · Company | $1.1M | — | 1 | #1032 | NIBIB |
| 14 | Decode Health, Inc.Nashville, TN · Company | $979K | 0.0% | 1 | #1229 | NIAID |
| 15 | Enigma Biomedical USA, IncKnoxville, TN · Company | $897K | — | 1 | #1313 | NIA |
| 16 | Ut-Battelle, Llc-Oak Ridge National LabOak Ridge, TN · Research institute | $855K | — | 1 | #1348 | NIBIB |
| 17 | Tennessee Technological UniversityCookeville, TN · Higher education | $474K | −30.3% | 1 | #1693 | NIAMS |
| 18 | St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, LLCMemphis, TN · Higher education | $454K | +26.4% | 10 | #1709 | NCI |
| 19 | Childfree Trust, LLCMount Juliet, TN · Company | $434K | — | 1 | #1732 | NIA |
| 20 | Middle Tennessee Research InstituteNashville, TN · Research institute | $408K | — | 1 | #1752 | NIDA |
| 21 | Popcheck Technologies IncMemphis, TN · Company | $391K | — | 1 | #1826 | NHLBI |
| 22 | Middle Tennessee State UniversityMurfreesboro, TN · Higher education | $295K | −65.3% | 2 | #2096 | NIGMS |
| 23 | University of Tennessee Space InstituteTullahoma, TN · Higher education | $157K | — | 1 | #2210 | NIBIB |
Tennessee NIH funding, FY2022–FY2026
| Year | Funding | Change | Recipients | State rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | $709.8M | −13.9% | 23 | #17 |
| FY2025 | $823.9M | +0.7% | 22 | #15 |
| FY2024 | $818.1M | +6.5% | 25 | #14 |
| FY2023 | $768.0M | +8.0% | 28 | #16 |
| FY2022 | $710.8M | — | 29 | #17 |
NIH institutes funding Tennessee, FY2026
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) administered the most NIH funding in Tennessee. Institute figures cover the state's recipients with $10M or more (96.3% of state funding).
- NCI · National Cancer Institute$112.4M · 16.4%
165 awards · vs FY2025: −17.4%
- NIAID · National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases$95.3M · 13.9%
154 awards · vs FY2025: −14.3%
- NHLBI · National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute$80.8M · 11.8%
128 awards · vs FY2025: −1.4%
- NIDDK · National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases$60.6M · 8.9%
108 awards · vs FY2025: +6.0%
- NIGMS · National Institute of General Medical Sciences$55.4M · 8.1%
127 awards · vs FY2025: −0.4%
- NIA · National Institute on Aging$52.6M · 7.7%
70 awards · vs FY2025: −18.1%
- OD · NIH Office of the Director$38.8M · 5.7%
16 awards · vs FY2025: −58.7%
- NINDS · National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke$34.0M · 5.0%
79 awards · vs FY2025: +10.1%
- NIMH · National Institute of Mental Health$24.1M · 3.5%
59 awards · vs FY2025: −1.6%
- NCATS · National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences$23.0M · 3.4%
6 awards · vs FY2025: +1.1%
Also: NICHD $13.8M · NHGRI $12.4M · NIDA $11.9M · NIDCD $11.1M · NEI $10.6M · NIAAA $8.7M · NIMHD $8.3M · NLM $8.2M · NIAMS $7.9M · NIBIB $6.5M · NIEHS $2.0M · NIDCR $1.5M · NCCIH $1.5M · FIC $1.3M · NINR $1.2M
University and health systems in Tennessee
More NIH funding rankings
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