Research Funding Highlights FY20-21

In a year of unpredictability—clear wins, followed by pauses, reversals, and then progress again—our campus continues to lean into excellence, innovation and teamwork. Record-breaking sponsored research funding—headlined by $634 million in total gifts and awards, $481 million of which was awarded by federal agencies—provides measurable evidence of the resilience of our researchers, faculty, students and staff.

Research funding highlights

*Numbers have been rounded to simplify. For full details, please visit .

Total awards: $680 million

  • CU Foundation gifts: $33 million
  • International, nonprofits and other: $51 million
  • Other universities: $39 million
  • Industry: $27 million
  • State of Colorado: $5 million
  • CARES**: $45 million
  • Federal agencies: $481 million
    • NASA: 29%
    • NSF: 23%
    • Commerce: 17%
    • NIH: 14%
    • Defense: 7%
    • Energy: 7%
    • Education: 1%
    • Other: 2%

****Institutional portion of funding from the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF), received by 91´«Ã½ as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Use and distribution of these funds is provided in the CARES Act Compliance Report.