University profileBellingham, WAFiscal year 2025
How much federal money does Western Washington University get?
Western Washington University received $28.7 million in federal awards in FY2025, 425th of 998 institutions (top 43%).In fiscal year 2025, federal agencies obligated $28.7 million to Western Washington University (Bellingham, WA), counting grants, contracts, loans and other awards.
Ranked 425th of 998 by federal awards
FY2025 federal awards, institutions ranked either side of Western Washington University.
| Norwich University #422 · VT | $29M |
| Langston University #423 · OK | $29M |
| University of Colorado at Denver #424 · CO | $29M |
| Western Washington University #425 · WA | $29M |
| Loyola University of Chicago (Maywood) #426 · IL | $28M |
| Western Carolina University #427 · NC | $28M |
| Sierra Joint Community College District #428 · CA | $28M |
What the money is
That is up 3.9% from FY2024 ($27.7 million). Compared with FY2019, the last year before pandemic relief, it is up 754.5%. The largest share came as direct payments ($22.4 million, 77.9%). The Department of Education was the biggest funder ($23.2 million). Its largest programs were Federal Pell Grant Program ($21.4 million); STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) ($1.8 million); Biological Sciences ($946,825). It ranks 425th of the 998 institutions on this site by FY2025 total.
What is counted: awards made directly to this institution, under the registered names WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY (UEI U3ZFA57417D4). 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
Western Washington University: $29M in FY2025, up 754% 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 | $12,645 | $6.9M | $0 | $0 | $17,115 | $6.9M |
| FY2019 | $12,790 | $3.3M | $0 | $0 | $41,875 | $3.4M |
| FY2020 | $20,280 | $16.8M | $0 | $0 | $33,357 | $16.9M |
| FY2021 | $24,235 | $61.6M | $0 | $0 | -$3,942 | $61.6M |
| FY2022 | $24,923 | $10.0M | $5.3M | $0 | $3,162 | $15.4M |
| FY2023 | $23,508 | $12.7M | $15.2M | $0 | $0 | $27.9M |
| FY2024 | $121,443 | $9.2M | $18.3M | $0 | $0 | $27.7M |
| FY2025 | $26,320 | $6.3M | $22.4M | $0 | $0 | $28.7M |
| FY2026* | $13,413 | $2.5M | $14.6M | $0 | $54,950 | $17.1M |
Source: USAspending.gov (U.S. Treasury).
Who pays and for what, FY2025
The agencies that obligated the most to Western Washington 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 | $23.2 million | 80.7% |
| National Science Foundation | $3.8 million | 13.1% |
| Department of Health and Human Services | $798,417 | 2.8% |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | $592,499 | 2.1% |
| Department of Defense | $253,208 | 0.9% |
| Department of Agriculture | $100,000 | 0.3% |
| Department of Commerce | $48,332 | 0.2% |
| Department of State | $0 | 0.0% |
| Department of Energy | $0 | 0.0% |
| Department of the Interior | -$15,064 | -0.1% |
Top programs
| Program | FY2025 | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Pell Grant Program Assistance Listing 84.063 | $21.4 million | 74.3% |
| STEM Education (formerly Education and Human Resources) Assistance Listing 47.076 | $1.8 million | 6.2% |
| Biological Sciences Assistance Listing 47.074 | $946,825 | 3.3% |
| Geosciences Assistance Listing 47.050 | $847,283 | 2.9% |
| Science Assistance Listing 43.001 | $592,499 | 2.1% |
| English Language Acquisition State Grants Assistance Listing 84.365 | $587,263 | 2.0% |
| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants Assistance Listing 84.007 | $537,215 | 1.9% |
| Federal Work-Study Program Assistance Listing 84.033 | $487,351 | 1.7% |
| Biomedical Research and Research Training Assistance Listing 93.859 | $401,429 | 1.4% |
| Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders Assistance Listing 93.853 | $396,988 | 1.4% |
Other institutions in Washington
- University of Washington$1B
- Washington State University (Pullman)$163M
- Washington State Community College District 17$47M
- Corporation of Gonzaga University$28M
- Central Washington University$26M
- Eastern Washington University$22M
- Skagit Valley College Foundation$18M
- Community College District 14-Clark College$17M
Questions and answers
- How much federal funding does Western Washington University receive?
- $28.7 million in fiscal year 2025, according to USAspending.gov award data for its registered UEI(s).
- Where does Western Washington University's federal money come from?
- The largest funder in FY2025 was the Department of Education ($23.2 million, 80.7%). By type, grants were $6.3 million and contracts $26,320.
- Did Western Washington University's federal funding go up or down?
- FY2025: $28.7 million; FY2024: $27.7 million (+3.9%).
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) 62fe7877-ce39-5c02-0334-28f8f0da00b9-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.