Most Active Grant Programs

Grant programs ranked by number of opportunities posted — the programs with the most active funding notices. Data from USAspending.gov and Grants.gov, covering federal grant awards across all 50 states; see our methodology.

What This Ranking Tells Us

Active programs — those posting the most opportunities — are where the grant-seeking action is. Programs topping this list regularly post new funding notices, giving applicants multiple chances to apply throughout the year. High-volume programs often have standardized application processes, making subsequent applications easier once you understand the first one. For organizations building a sustainable funding strategy, targeting active programs with recurring deadlines is more effective than chasing one-time opportunities.

# Name Opportunities
1 Engineering Grants National Science Foundation 316
2 Convergence Accelerators National Science Foundation 316
3 Accelerating Research Translation National Science Foundation 316
4 ADVANCE Institutional Transformation National Science Foundation 316
5 Mathematical and Physical Sciences National Science Foundation 212
6 Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences National Science Foundation 212
7 Major Research Instrumentation Program National Science Foundation 212
8 Integrative Organismal Systems National Science Foundation 212
9 Research Opportunity Awards National Science Foundation 212
10 Geosciences National Science Foundation 211
11 Division of Ocean Sciences National Science Foundation 211
12 Mental Health Research Grants National Institutes of Health 191
13 Drug Abuse Research Programs National Institutes of Health 173
14 Biological Sciences National Science Foundation 165
15 Alcohol Research Center Grants National Institutes of Health 154
16 Computer and Information Science and Engineering National Science Foundation 150
17 STEM Education Grants National Science Foundation 136
18 Noyce Scholarship Program National Science Foundation 136
19 Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 121
20 Oral Health Prevention and Education Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 100
21 Heart and Vascular Disease Research National Institutes of Health 97
22 Nursing Research National Institutes of Health 90
23 Biological Response to Environmental Health Hazards National Institutes of Health 87
24 Research and Training in Sleep Medicine National Institutes of Health 86
25 Cancer Research Grants National Institutes of Health 83
26 Discovery Research for Cancer Diagnostics National Institutes of Health 77
27 Lung Disease Research National Institutes of Health 76
28 National Center on Sleep Disorders Research National Institutes of Health 67
29 International Science and Engineering Research National Science Foundation 66
30 Cancer Control Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 64
31 Diabetes, Endocrine, and Metabolic Disease Research National Institutes of Health 59
32 Cancer Prevention Research National Institutes of Health 59
33 Allergy, Immunology, and Transplantation Research National Institutes of Health 50
34 NSF Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) National Science Foundation 50
35 Cancer Treatment Research National Institutes of Health 45
36 Minority Health and Health Disparities Research National Institutes of Health 44
37 NSF Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) National Science Foundation 43
38 Medical Library Assistance National Institutes of Health 41
39 Food and Drug Administration Research U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 37
40 Antarctic Research Grants National Science Foundation 31
41 USAID International Development Grants U.S. Department of State 30
42 Conservation Research and Development U.S. Department of Energy 29
43 Mental Health National Research Service Awards National Institutes of Health 19
44 Aerospace Education Services National Aeronautics and Space Administration 18
45 Migratory Bird Conservation Grant U.S. Department of the Interior 16
46 Agriculture and Food Research Initiative U.S. Department of Agriculture 12
47 Basic Energy Sciences U.S. Department of Energy 10
48 Office of Science Financial Assistance Program U.S. Department of Energy 10
49 Energy Storage Technologies U.S. Department of Energy 10
50 Office of Biological and Environmental Research U.S. Department of Energy 10

Source: SAM.gov + Grants.gov.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do some programs have so many opportunities?

Programs post separate opportunities for different funding rounds, geographic regions, or topic areas. NSF Engineering, for example, posts separate notices for each engineering subdiscipline. Each is a distinct competition with its own deadline, reviewers, and award criteria.

Is it easier to get funded by active programs?

Not necessarily easier, but you get more chances. Active programs provide regular application windows, so a rejection in one round does not mean waiting a year. You can refine your application and resubmit. Over time, applicants who persistently target active programs have higher cumulative success rates.

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Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

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Data sourced from official public datasets. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants Editorial