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 CU Boulder 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.