Insights
A data-driven look at the global research funding landscape across 6 funders and 22,708 grants.
The Gates Foundation and NIH account for most of the funding
Of $16.6B in total grants, the top two funders contribute over 80%.
Wellcome
$9.9B
National
$3.5B
Bill
$2.2B
Wolfson
$514.4M
Gatsby
$491.0M
Nuffield
$160.3M
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay
Average grant sizes differ by an order of magnitude
The Gatsby Foundation makes fewer, larger grants while Wellcome and Nuffield distribute funding more broadly.
Gatsby
$2.2M
Wellcome
$2.0M
National
$617K
Bill
$304K
Nuffield
$298K
Wolfson
$121K
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay
Funding trends vary across funders and years
Annual grant volume for each funder, 2005–2025. Different reporting windows and grant cycles create distinct patterns.
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay
Infectious disease and global health top the cross-funder agenda
Topics that appear most frequently across all funders. Counts reflect individual grant classifications.
Global Development
6457
Global Libraries
6413
Arts and Humanities
1802
Education
1177
PhD Studentship (Basic)
871
Health and Disability
871
Science and Medicine
512
Discretionary Award
491
Open Access Award
273
Early-Career Award
254
Discovery Award
234
Career Development Award
219
PhD Training Fellowship for Clinicians
218
Vacation Scholarships
180
U.S. Program
178
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay
219 institutions receive funding from multiple sources
Most recipients are funded by a single source, but a significant minority attract grants from two or more funders.
2 funders
145 recipients
3 funders
58 recipients
4 funders
13 recipients
5 funders
3 recipients
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay
The most-connected recipients span up to five funders
Institutions at the intersection of multiple funding portfolios, ranked by number of funders.
University of Oxford
$1.1B
Nuclear Threat Initiative
$624.2M
Research and Development Solutions (Private) Limited
$103.5M
University of Cambridge
$441.1M
University of Edinburgh
$297.6M
King's College London
$274.2M
University of Glasgow
$129.3M
Teachers College, Columbia University
$120.1M
University of Sheffield
$78.1M
Stanford University
$75.3M
University of Birmingham
$73.9M
Cardiff University
$70.3M
Source: Cross-Funder Grant Analysis · Underlay