University profileWashington, DCFiscal year 2025
How much federal money does American University get?
American University received $25.2 million in federal awards in FY2025, 462nd of 998 institutions (top 46%).In fiscal year 2025, federal agencies obligated $25.2 million to American University (Washington, DC), counting grants, contracts, loans and other awards.
Ranked 462nd of 998 by federal awards
FY2025 federal awards, institutions ranked either side of American University.
| Louisiana State University (Shreveport) #459 · LA | $26M |
| Indiana University of Pennsylvania #460 · PA | $25M |
| University of Massachusetts Dartmouth #461 · MA | $25M |
| American University #462 · DC | $25M |
| West Texas A & M University #463 · TX | $25M |
| Elizabeth City State University #464 · NC | $25M |
| Marshall University #465 · WV | $25M |
What the money is
That is up 15.1% from FY2024 ($21.9 million). Compared with FY2019, the last year before pandemic relief, it is up 122.9%. The largest share came as grants ($12.8 million, 50.7%). The Department of Education was the biggest funder ($13.2 million). Its largest programs were Federal Pell Grant Program ($8.3 million); Federal Work-Study Program ($2.0 million); Biological Sciences ($1.9 million). It ranks 462nd of the 998 institutions on this site by FY2025 total.
What is counted: awards made directly to this institution, under the registered names AMERICAN UNIVERSITY (UEI H4VNDUN2VWU5). Money that reaches it as a subaward through another organization is not included. Separately incorporated foundations, hospitals and laboratories have their own records and are not added in. Grouping rules are explained in the methodology.
Federal awards by year
American University: $25M in FY2025, up 123% on FY2019
Federal award obligations by fiscal year and type, FY2018–FY2026, nominal dollars. FY26* is preliminary and still filling in.
- Insurance and other
- Loans (subsidy cost)
- Direct payments
- Grants
- Contracts
View every year as a table
| Fiscal year | Contracts | Grants | Direct payments | Loans | Insurance and other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2018 | $3.9M | $14.0M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $17.9M |
| FY2019 | $3.7M | $7.6M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $11.3M |
| FY2020 | $2.1M | $15.7M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $17.7M |
| FY2021 | $4.0M | $46.0M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $49.9M |
| FY2022 | $2.0M | $29.3M | $3.0M | $0 | $0 | $34.3M |
| FY2023 | $2.2M | $15.9M | $7.6M | $0 | $93,480 | $25.7M |
| FY2024 | $2.5M | $11.1M | $8.2M | $0 | $82,389 | $21.9M |
| FY2025 | $948,029 | $12.8M | $11.5M | $0 | $0 | $25.2M |
| FY2026* | $166,994 | $6.5M | $11.7M | $0 | -$1,615 | $18.4M |
Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury).
Who pays and for what, FY2025
The agencies that obligated the most to American University, and the largest federal programs. Programs are federal Assistance Listings (formerly CFDA numbers); contracts have no listing number, so they do not appear there.
Top awarding agencies
| Agency | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Department of Education | $13.2 million | 52.5% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $3.3 million | 13.0% |
| National Science Foundation | $3.1 million | 12.3% |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $2.0 million | 7.9% |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | $1.5 million | 5.8% |
| Department of Defense | $888,700 | 3.5% |
| Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency | $618,600 | 2.5% |
| Department of the Interior | $361,524 | 1.4% |
| National Archives and Records Administration | $122,862 | 0.5% |
| Department of the Treasury | $95,974 | 0.4% |
Top programs
| Program | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Pell Grant Program Assistance Listing 84.063 | $8.3 million | 32.9% |
| Federal Work-Study Program Assistance Listing 84.033 | $2.0 million | 7.9% |
| Biological Sciences Assistance Listing 47.074 | $1.9 million | 7.6% |
| Science Assistance Listing 43.001 | $1.9 million | 7.6% |
| American History and Civics Education Assistance Listing 84.422 | $1.7 million | 6.9% |
| AmeriCorps National Service and Civic Engagement Research Competition 94.026 Assistance Listing 94.026 | $1.5 million | 5.8% |
| Mental Health Research Grants Assistance Listing 93.242 | $1.2 million | 4.6% |
| STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) Assistance Listing 47.076 | $901,526 | 3.6% |
| Office of Stem Engagement (OSTEM) Assistance Listing 43.008 | $800,000 | 3.2% |
| Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs Assistance Listing 93.279 | $796,667 | 3.2% |
Other institutions in District of Columbia
- George Washington University$136M
- Georgetown University$99M
- Howard University$77M
- Catholic University of America$37M
- Gallaudet University$16M
Questions and answers
- How much federal funding does American University receive?
- $25.2 million in fiscal year 2025, according to USAspending.gov award data for its registered UEI(s).
- Where does American University's federal money come from?
- The largest funder in FY2025 was the Department of Education ($13.2 million, 52.5%). By type, grants were $12.8 million and contracts $948,029.
- Did American University's federal funding go up or down?
- FY2025: $25.2 million; FY2024: $21.9 million (+15.1%).
Sources and notes
- USAspending.gov (U.S. Department of the Treasury), API endpoints spending_over_time and spending_by_category, filtered by recipient ID(s) 8632c66b-1c9c-5c89-ea06-2a22e37cf7c2-C, fiscal years 2018–2026. Amounts are obligations in nominal dollars. Data retrieved 2026-10-04. Public domain.
- How the figures are built, and what they leave out: sources and methods.