University profileWinston Salem, NCFiscal year 2025
How much federal money does Wake Forest University get?
Wake Forest University received $14.5 million in federal awards in FY2025, 701st of 998 institutions.In fiscal year 2025, federal agencies obligated $14.5 million to Wake Forest University (Winston Salem, NC), counting grants, contracts, loans and other awards.
Ranked 701st of 998 by federal awards
FY2025 federal awards, institutions ranked either side of Wake Forest University.
| Johnson C. Smith University #698 · NC | $15M |
| Louisiana Delta Community College #699 · LA | $14M |
| Houston Christian University #700 · TX | $14M |
| Wake Forest University #701 · NC | $14M |
| Lake-Sumter State College #702 · FL | $14M |
| Midwestern State University #703 · TX | $14M |
| Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit #704 · PA | $14M |
What the money is
That is down 18.8% from FY2024 ($17.8 million). Compared with FY2019, the last year before pandemic relief, it is up 144.7%. The largest share came as grants ($8.1 million, 56.2%). The Department of Education was the biggest funder ($6.3 million). Its largest programs were Federal Pell Grant Program ($4.5 million); Aging Research ($2.4 million); Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research ($2.2 million). It ranks 701st of the 998 institutions on this site by FY2025 total.
What is counted: awards made directly to this institution, under the registered names WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY (UEI MBU6HCLNZ431). 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
Wake Forest University: $14M in FY2025, up 145% 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 | $601,330 | $6.0M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $6.6M |
| FY2019 | $702,733 | $5.2M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $5.9M |
| FY2020 | $628,116 | $8.4M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $9.0M |
| FY2021 | $433,736 | $20.6M | $0 | $0 | $0 | $21.0M |
| FY2022 | $254,370 | $7.8M | $1.3M | $0 | $0 | $9.4M |
| FY2023 | $229,360 | $13.3M | $4.5M | $0 | $0 | $18.0M |
| FY2024 | $95,860 | $12.6M | $5.1M | $0 | $0 | $17.8M |
| FY2025 | $0 | $8.1M | $6.3M | $0 | $0 | $14.5M |
| FY2026* | $0 | $13.5M | $5.5M | $0 | $0 | $19.0M |
Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury).
Who pays and for what, FY2025
The agencies that obligated the most to Wake Forest 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 | $6.3 million | 43.8% |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $6.2 million | 43.2% |
| National Science Foundation | $1.4 million | 9.9% |
| Department of Energy | $245,205 | 1.7% |
| Department of Defense | $180,743 | 1.2% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $104,461 | 0.7% |
| Department of Agriculture | -$27,135 | -0.2% |
| Corporation for National and Community Service | -$50,676 | -0.4% |
Top programs
| Program | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Pell Grant Program Assistance Listing 84.063 | $4.5 million | 31.0% |
| Aging Research Assistance Listing 93.866 | $2.4 million | 16.7% |
| Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Research Assistance Listing 93.846 | $2.2 million | 15.1% |
| Federal Work-Study Program Assistance Listing 84.033 | $1.5 million | 10.4% |
| Computer and Information Science and Engineering Assistance Listing 47.070 | $695,013 | 4.8% |
| Trans-NIH Research Support Assistance Listing 93.310 | $439,500 | 3.0% |
| Child Health and Human Development Extramural Research Assistance Listing 93.865 | $390,101 | 2.7% |
| Mathematical and Physical Sciences Assistance Listing 47.049 | $387,016 | 2.7% |
| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants Assistance Listing 84.007 | $356,093 | 2.5% |
| Research and Training in Complementary and Integrative Health Assistance Listing 93.213 | $300,000 | 2.1% |
Other institutions in North Carolina
- Duke University$762M
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill$690M
- North Carolina State University$279M
- Wake Forest University Health Sciences$195M
- North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University$134M
- University of North Carolina at Charlotte$88M
- North Carolina Central University$68M
- University of North Carolina at Greensboro$68M
Questions and answers
- How much federal funding does Wake Forest University receive?
- $14.5 million in fiscal year 2025, according to USAspending.gov award data for its registered UEI(s).
- Where does Wake Forest University's federal money come from?
- The largest funder in FY2025 was the Department of Education ($6.3 million, 43.8%). By type, grants were $8.1 million and contracts $0.
- Did Wake Forest University's federal funding go up or down?
- FY2025: $14.5 million; FY2024: $17.8 million (-18.8%).
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) 6bb62c37-6b74-a9af-577c-895771e3de6f-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.