Federal contractor · EVANSTON, IL

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY received $7.5M in federal contract obligations in FY2026, on 27 awards (+18% vs FY2025). Since FY2017: $99M. Its largest customer was National Institutes of Health ($5.4M). It also received $534.1M in federal grants and other assistance in FY2026.

Obligations · FY2026
$7.5M
New awards
27
Sole-source
17%
Single offer
0.1%
UEI
KG76WYENL5K1
Other than small businessNonprofitEducational institution
Open in the contracts explorerRelationship graph

Company family

Grouped from reported parent companies (UEI) and, where marked, AI judgments that two records name the same organization or group.

2 registered entities of the same company or corporate group, $9.1M in FY2026 together.

  1. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYEVANSTON, IL · Family page
    $7.5M
  2. NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITYEVANSTON, IL
    $1.5M

AI-inferred: entity-match@1 · Analisa AI · 2026-09-30

Spending by fiscal year

Obligations per federal fiscal year (October–September).

  1. 11.4MFY2017
  2. 8.7MFY2018
  3. 10.9MFY2019
  4. 13.5MFY2020
  5. 11.4MFY2021
  6. 12.6MFY2022
  7. 9.6MFY2023
  8. 6.9MFY2024
  9. 6.4MFY2025
  10. 7.5MFY2026
  11. -19.3KFY2027

Top buying agencies

Obligations in FY2026.

  1. National Institutes of Health$5.4M71%
    5 awards
  2. Department of the Navy$1.3M17%
    4 awards
  3. Department of the Army$882.7K12%
    2 awards
  4. Department of Veterans Affairs$24.3K0.3%
    14 awards
  5. U.S. Geological Survey$10.1K0.1%
    1 awards
  6. Food and Drug Administration$00.0%
    1 awards

What was bought · Where the work was performed

Obligations in FY2026.

What was bought

  1. Research & development$6M79%
  2. Education & social services$1.5M20%
  3. IT & telecom$10.1K0.1%

Where the work was performed

  1. Cook County, IL$7.4M98%
  2. Orange County, NY$295K3.9%

Integrity signals

Shares of the year's obligations, next to the country's.

  • Low competition17%
    US 39% · $1.3M
  • Sole-source awards17%
    US 30% · $1.3M
  • Single-offer competitions0.1%
    US 8.7% · $10.1K
  • Urgency justifications0.0%
    US 5.1% · $0

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Agencies awarding it sole-source contracts

  1. Department of the Navy$1.3M
    Department of Defense · 4 awards
  2. Department of Veterans Affairs$24.3K
    Department of Veterans Affairs · 1 awards

Largest awards

  1. TO PROVIDE SCIENTIFIC SUPPORT TO THE CENTERS FOR RESEARCH ON STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES.$25.3M
    National Institutes of Health· Cook County, IL· Research & development· Aug 15, 2022 – Jul 6, 2026· 75N93022C00035
  2. THE OVERARCHING PURPOSE OF THIS TASK ORDER IS TO ADD TWO CLINICALLY RELEVANT NONVERBAL MEASURES FOR USE WITH BOTH TYPICALLY- AND ATYPICALLY-DEVELOPING INFANTS AND TODDLERS, AND TO REFINE, VALIDATE AND FINALIZE THE FULL NBT IN PREPARATION FOR THE NORM$3.3M
    National Institutes of Health· Cook County, IL· Research & development· Sep 27, 2021 – Jul 23, 2026· 75N94021F00001
  3. CARDIA CHICAGO FC - TASK AREA A PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: 07/01/2018 - 06/30/2019$3M
    National Institutes of Health· Cook County, IL· Research & development· Jun 27, 2018 – Dec 15, 2025· 75N92018F00001
  4. MULTI-ETHNIC STUDY OF ATHEROSCLEROSIS (MESA) - FIELD CENTER$1.4M
    National Institutes of Health· Cook County, IL· Research & development· Apr 10, 2025 – Feb 19, 2026· 75N92025F00001
  5. ASSESSING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF TEXT ENHANCEMENTS TO PREVENT DRUG NAME CONFUSION ERRORS$1.2M
    Food and Drug Administration· Montgomery County, MD· Research & development· Sep 21, 2022 – Jun 26, 2026· 75F40122C00191
  6. THIS RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT IS FOR A SCALABLE ULTRA-LOW VARIATION ANALOG-TIME NEURAL NETWORK (S-UATN) ACCELERATOR.$898.2K
    Department of the Army· Cook County, IL· Research & development· Jun 9, 2025 – Apr 9, 2026· W912CG25CA001
  7. SPRING 2026 NROTC MIDSHIPMEN TUITION AND ALLOWABLE FEES$450K
    Department of the Navy· Cook County, IL· Education & social services· Feb 23, 2026 – Feb 23, 2026· N3560A26FB123
  8. TUITION AND ALLOWABLE FEES FOR 13 MIDSHIPMEN$400K
    Department of the Navy· Cook County, IL· Education & social services· May 15, 2026 – May 15, 2026· N3560A26FB204

Federal grants & assistance received

Grants, loans (counted at their subsidy cost), direct payments and insurance, by fiscal year of the action (USAspending.gov, FABS). Reported apart from contracts and never added to them.

NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY received $534.1M in federal assistance in FY2026, on 1,850 actions (268 new awards), +16% vs FY2025. Its largest program was 93.837 · Cardiovascular Diseases Research ($68.7M).

Assistance · FY2026
$534.1M
New awards
268
Actions
1,850
Since FY2021
$2.7B

Assistance by fiscal year

  1. 387.1MFY2021
  2. 415.3MFY2022
  3. 443.6MFY2023
  4. 445.4MFY2024
  5. 461.5MFY2025
  6. 534.1MFY2026

By type

  1. Grants$518M97%
  2. Direct payments$14.9M2.8%
  3. Other assistance$1.1M0.2%

Top programs

  1. 93.837 · Cardiovascular Diseases Research$68.7M13%
  2. 93.866 · Aging Research$52.2M9.8%
  3. 93.855 · Allergy and Infectious Diseases Research$50.7M9.5%
  4. 93.853 · Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders$41.5M7.8%
  5. 93.847 · Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases Extramural Research$25.7M4.8%
  6. 93.859 · Biomedical Research and Research Training$23.8M4.5%
  7. 93.242 · Mental Health Research Grants$22.7M4.3%
  8. 93.395 · Cancer Treatment Research$19.2M3.6%

Awarding agencies

  1. National Institutes of Health$440.2M82%
    Department of Health and Human Services
  2. National Science Foundation$39.5M7.4%
  3. Department of Energy$23.2M4.3%
  4. Department of Education$14.8M2.8%
  5. Defense Health Agency$6.5M1.2%
    Department of Defense
  6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention$2.4M0.4%
    Department of Health and Human Services
  7. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality$2M0.4%
    Department of Health and Human Services
  8. Department of the Army$1.2M0.2%
    Department of Defense

Largest awards

  1. THE ROBERT H. LURIE COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER$113.1M
    93.397 · Cancer Centers Support Grants· National Institutes of Health· Project grant· Dec 28, 2020 – Aug 11, 2026· P30CA060553
  2. ECHO PRO RESEARCH RESOURCE: A DEVELOPMENTALLY-BASED MEASUREMENT SCIENCE FRAMEWORK FOR ASSESSING ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE AND CHILD HEALTH$43.7M
    93.310 · Trans-NIH Research Support· National Institutes of Health· Cooperative agreement· Jun 30, 2021 – Jun 16, 2026· U24OD023319
  3. THIRD COAST CENTER FOR AIDS RESEARCH$35.9M
    93.242 · Mental Health Research Grants· National Institutes of Health· Project grant· Mar 16, 2021 – Sep 16, 2026· P30AI117943
  4. NORTHWESTERN CORE CLINICAL RESEARCH SITE: TRANS-OMICS FOR HIV/AIDS RESEARCH$31.5M
    93.273 · Alcohol Research Programs· National Institutes of Health· Cooperative agreement· Nov 24, 2020 – Jul 28, 2026· U01HL146240
  5. THE MOBILETOOLBOX FOR MONITORING COGNITIVE FUNCTION$30.2M
    93.866 · Aging Research· National Institutes of Health· Cooperative agreement· Jul 21, 2021 – Jun 1, 2026· U2CAG060426
  6. STUDY IN PARKINSON DISEASE OF EXERCISE PHASE 3 CLINICAL TRIAL: SPARX3$29.6M
    93.853 · Extramural Research Programs in the Neurosciences and Neurological Disorders· National Institutes of Health· Cooperative agreement· Jul 27, 2021 – Aug 27, 2026· U01NS113851

Source: Federal financial assistance transactions (Financial Assistance Broker Submission) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2021–FY2026.

Subawards

Matched by Unique Entity ID: the first-tier subawards this organization reported as a prime recipient, and those primes reported paying it.

As a prime: who it pays · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $4.6M (12 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $75.9M (676 subawards)

210 sub-recipients

  1. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$7.2M8.9%
    CHICAGO, IL · 40 subawards
  2. ANN & ROBERT H LURIE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO$4.3M5.4%
    CHICAGO, IL · 44 subawards
  3. THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY$3.2M3.9%
    STANFORD, CA · 9 subawards
  4. THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY$2.5M3.1%
    BALTIMORE, MD · 13 subawards
  5. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN$2.2M2.8%
    ANN ARBOR, MI · 21 subawards
  6. AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION$2.1M2.6%
    CHICAGO, IL · 2 subawards
  7. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA$2M2.5%
    GAINESVILLE, FL · 7 subawards
  8. VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER$1.8M2.2%
    NASHVILLE, TN · 11 subawards
  9. UNIVERSITY OF UTAH$1.6M2.0%
    SALT LAKE CITY, UT · 16 subawards
  10. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION$1.6M1.9%
    PITTSBURGH, PA · 8 subawards

As a sub-recipient: who pays it · FY2026

  • Sub-contracts: $615.1K (2 subawards)
  • Sub-grants: $52.4M (239 subawards)

107 primes

  1. THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO$12.8M24%
    CHICAGO, IL · 17 subawards
  2. THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY$3.7M6.9%
    BALTIMORE, MD · 11 subawards
  3. THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY$3.6M6.8%
    UNIVERSITY PARK, PA · 5 subawards
  4. DUKE UNIVERSITY$2.1M3.9%
    DURHAM, NC · 3 subawards
  5. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION$1.8M3.4%
    PITTSBURGH, PA · 7 subawards
  6. ANN & ROBERT H LURIE CHILDRENS HOSPITAL OF CHICAGO$1.8M3.3%
    CHICAGO, IL · 9 subawards
  7. DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH ILLINOIS$1.7M3.2%
    SPRINGFIELD, IL · 1 subaward
  8. UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER AT HOUSTON$1.5M2.8%
    HOUSTON, TX · 1 subaward
  9. THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY$1.4M2.6%
    STANFORD, CA · 7 subawards
  10. EMORY UNIVERSITY$1.1M2.1%
    ATLANTA, GA · 10 subawards

Its reported sub-contracts equal 61% of its FY2026 contract obligations.

By fiscal year

  • FY2021: $67.9M paid out · $39.4M received
  • FY2022: $107.8M paid out · $44.8M received
  • FY2023: $113.1M paid out · $43.8M received
  • FY2024: $104.6M paid out · $41.5M received
  • FY2025: $69M paid out · $51.4M received
  • FY2026: $80.5M paid out · $53M received
  • FY2027: $496K paid out · $166K received

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from FY2021.

Teaming partners

Companies this company reported paying, primes that reported paying it, from FFATA subaward reports.

Companies it pays

505 companies · $734.7M reported

  1. UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC$58.6M
    CHICAGO, IL · 264 subawards · Scientific research and development services
  2. THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY$41.1M
    STANFORD, CA · 58 subawards
  3. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH - OF THE COMMONWEALTH SYSTEM OF HIGHER EDUCATION$32.3M
    PITTSBURGH, PA · 70 subawards

Primes that pay it

221 companies · $437.6M reported

  1. UCHICAGO ARGONNE, LLC$21.5M
    CHICAGO, IL · 57 subawards
  2. ILLINOIS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY AND$19.6M
    SPRINGFIELD, IL · 4 subawards
  3. REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA$17.6M
    MINNEAPOLIS, MN · 33 subawards

Showing the top 3 of each list. Open the profile for potential partners and the full lists.

Primes report first-tier subawards of $30,000 or more themselves, and many go unreported (GAO-24-106214). Reporting moved from FSRS to SAM.gov in March 2025 and fewer sub-contracts have been reported since. Amounts are what primes reported; they are never added to prime award totals.

Source: Subawards (first-tier sub-contracts and sub-grants reported under FFATA) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov (reports filed in SAM.gov, formerly FSRS)), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · Subawards loaded from 2021.

Competitors

Companies that win from the same buyers in the same markets: obligations by agency and industry compared over the last three fiscal years.

Compared on 14 markets (agency × industry), FY2024–FY2026.

  1. LA JOLLA INSTITUTE FOR IMMUNOLOGY$17.8M+25% in FY2026
    LA JOLLA, CA · 69% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Institutes of Health · Scientific research and development services
  2. FUNDACION INCIENSA$19.3M−86% in FY2026
    LA UNION, CRI · 71% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Institutes of Health · Scientific research and development services
  3. THE ADMINISTRATORS OF TULANE EDUCATIONAL FUND$28M−42% in FY2026
    NEW ORLEANS, LA · 2 entities · 83% of this company's obligations are in markets they both serveNational Institutes of Health · Scientific research and development servicesNavy · Colleges, universities, and professional schoolsArmy · Scientific research and development services

Showing the top 3 of 25 competitors. Open the profile for the full list.

Who sells to the same buyers in the same markets, not who wins against whom on a given contract. Prime contract obligations by the agency and NAICS code of each award; subawards are never added. A company is a family of legal entities, joined by parent UEI or, in part, by an AI reading of names.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · FY2024–FY2026.

Lobbying and PAC activity

Organizations in House lobbying disclosures and FEC records whose names an AI judgment matched to this company. Those records carry no identifier shared with contracts, so every match is by name.

Across the company family of NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY (2 recipients).

Matched organizations

  • NORTHWESTERN UNIVAI match · 100%
  • Northwestern UniversityAI match · 100%
Lobbying · 2025
$1.3M
12 reports
Lobbying · 2023–2026
$2.9M
$2.9M in its own reports

Lobbying by year

  1. 2023$406K
    8 reports
  2. 2024$1M
    10 reports
  3. 2025$1.3M
    12 reports
  4. 2026$212K
    4 reports

Top issues

  1. Education25 reports
  2. Defense21 reports
  3. Budget and appropriations14 reports
  4. Science and technology14 reports
  5. Taxation and the Internal Revenue Code12 reports
  6. Sports and athletics6 reports
  7. Immigration3 reports
  8. Health issues2 reports

Who was contacted

  1. U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES31 reports
  2. U.S. SENATE31 reports
  3. Executive Office of the President (EOP)2 reports
  4. Education - Dept of1 reports
  5. Justice - Dept of (DOJ)1 reports

Houses of Congress and federal agencies the reports list as contacted (a report names every one for all its issues).

Lobbying firms hired

  1. Harbinger Strategies, LLC$1.4M
    9 reports
  2. Miller Strategies, LLC$240K
    4 reports
  3. Strategic Marketing Innovations$200K
    7 reports

Registrants who are individuals are counted, not named.

Lobbying amounts are the filers' own good-faith estimates on quarterly LD-2 reports (the law asks for amounts rounded to $10,000; under $5,000 need not be itemized), latest amendment only. When an organization files its own report, it replaces what outside firms report for it that quarter. Matches are by name. Lobbying and political giving are legal and public: they show engagement with government, not influence over any award. Correlation is not influence: these organizations' lobbying and their contracts are shown side by side, and nothing here implies either affected the other.

Source: Lobbying disclosures (LD-1 registrations, LD-2 quarterly reports, LD-203 contribution reports) (Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2023–2026.

Source: Committees, candidates and committee contributions to candidates (Federal Election Commission), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026 · 2026, 2024, 2022.

Matches: Analisa AI name judgments (entity-match@1), updated Sep 30, 2026.

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 10, 2026, loaded Oct 10, 2026.