Federal Spending Report — Week of 2026-07-26

Federal Spending Report: July 26 – August 1, 2026

The federal government obligated $3.3 million across 31 awards during the week of July 26 through August 1, 2026, with the National Science Foundation and Department of Agriculture leading spending activity. The awards went to 27 unique contractors across 5 agencies, with a heavy concentration in research grants and community development projects.

The largest single award of the week was a $600,000 grant to the University of Alabama from the National Science Foundation, followed by a $550,000 NSF grant to Arizona State University. Purdue University rounded out the top three with a $360,000 NSF award. These three research institutions alone captured nearly one-third of the week's total spending, underscoring the government's sustained investment in higher education research infrastructure during the summer months.

Community development and housing initiatives also featured prominently in the spending patterns. Habitat for Humanity of York County in South Carolina and Rebuilding Together - Houston in Texas each received $150,000 grants from the Department of Agriculture, reflecting a broader federal focus on housing and community resilience projects in the South and Southwest.

The Department of Agriculture dominated by award count, distributing $1.4 million across 20 separate grants—the highest volume of any agency tracked this week. The National Science Foundation, by contrast, concentrated its $1.5 million in spending across just 3 awards, indicating a preference for larger, concentrated research funding. The Department of Health and Human Services, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Endowment for the Arts combined accounted for less than 9 percent of total obligated funds.

Geographically, Alabama led with $600,000 in obligations, while Arizona, Indiana, Ohio, and Tennessee collectively captured $1.52 million. Indiana's share across 3 awards and Ohio's across 4 awards suggest distributed smaller grant activity in the Midwest, contrasting with the blockbuster single awards concentrated in Alabama and Arizona.

All 31 awards issued during the period were structured as grants rather than contracts, indicating a week focused on direct support to institutions and organizations rather than traditional procurement or service delivery arrangements.