To improve people’s health and the sustainability of society and the planet by supporting scientific, humanitarian and social causes through grants, prizes, partnerships and strategic initiatives.
Novo Nordisk Fonden’s largest recent grant was $25,205,437 to Boston University for INFDIS, a single award that stands out in a portfolio built around biomedical research, health sciences, and social and humanitarian initiatives. The foundation supports scientific, humanitarian, and social causes through grants, prizes, partnerships, and strategic initiatives, with topic areas that include biomedicine and health sciences, biotechnology, clinical and translational medicine, infectious diseases, and innovation and early commercialization. Recent awards also show support for institutions working in public health and biomedical research, along with organizations serving vulnerable populations. The scale of its giving is substantial: annual grants given total $44,473,909, and the typical recent award sits in the mid-to-high six figures. Grantmaking reaches major research universities and medical institutions as well as humanitarian organizations, reflecting a mix of research, ecosystem-building, and social welfare priorities. Within the recent list, Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore received a multimillion-dollar award for INFDIS, while the International Rescue Committee appears as a recipient in the social and humanitarian category across multiple years.
In infectious-disease work, Novo Nordisk Fonden gave $2,233,117 to Johns Hopkins University for INFDIS and $630,494 to The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston for INFDIS. In social and humanitarian funding, it supported the International Rescue Committee with $2,175,332 for SOCHUM and $738,737 for SOCHUM in a separate year, showing repeated support for the same organization. The foundation also backs biotechnology and life-science capacity. It awarded $1,953,680 to Nrel Foundation for BIOTECH, $1,006,737 to Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research for BIOTECH, and $725,991 to Cornell University for BIOTECH. Its innovation and education-related giving includes $1,898,517 to Regents of the University of California Davis Campus for INNOVATION and $1,457,038 to the University of Chicago for E&O.
Typical grant size is $138,239 at the 25th percentile, $738,737 at the median, and $873,525 at the 75th percentile. The recent grant list shows a wide spread, from six-figure awards to a $25.2 million grant, with several awards clustered around the high six figures. Recipients can appear in more than one year: the International Rescue Committee appears in both 2024 and 2025, and US National Academy of Sciences appears twice with different program tags. Novo Nordisk Fonden is a public charity and also makes program-related investments. The 990 data on file is for 2025.
$16.4M
$8.6B
$1.4B
$1.3B
Most grants fall between $138K and $874K, with a median of $739K.
25th Percentile
$138K
Median
$739K
75th Percentile
$874K
MADS KROGSGAARD THOMSEN
CEO
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Recent grants are concentrated in the United States, which accounts for all 24 listed awards. Among recipient cities, New York appears through International Rescue Committee and United Nations Population Fund; Boston appears through President and Fellows of Harvard College and Boston University; and Cambridge appears through Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Other recipient locations include Baltimore, Chicago, Davis, Galveston, Seattle, and Los Angeles. The geographic picture is therefore broad across major U.S. research and humanitarian centers rather than tied to the foundation’s headquarters.
Its recent grants support infectious diseases, biotechnology, medical science, innovation, education and outreach, natural and technical sciences, and social and humanitarian work. The foundation’s stated focus areas also include biomedicine and health sciences, clinical and translational medicine, interdisciplinary research, and humanitarian initiatives.
Yes. The International Rescue Committee appears twice in the recent grants list, with awards in 2024 and 2025 for SOCHUM. US National Academy of Sciences also appears more than once, with awards tied to different program tags.
The recent grant distribution shows a 25th percentile of $138,239, a median of $738,737, and a 75th percentile of $873,525. That places many awards in the high six figures, with some much larger and some smaller project-based grants.
Recent recipients include universities, medical schools, research institutes, and humanitarian organizations. Examples from the list include Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, International Medical Corps, and United Nations Population Fund.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Current and upcoming funding from Novo Nordisk Fonden that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Open competition for leading researchers across Europe forming strong interdisciplinary teams. Each yearly call has its own theme-specific guidelines and assessment criteria.
Deadline: Annual calls; 2027 themes are open for applications. Specific call deadlines are listed on the individual theme pages and in NORMA.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY | BALTIMORE, MD | $2,233,117 | 2025 | INFDIS |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | NEW YORK, NY | $2,175,332 | 2025 | SOCHUM |
| NREL FOUNDATION | GOLDEN, CO | $1,953,680 | 2025 | BIOTECH |
| REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS CAMPUS | DAVIS, CA | $1,898,517 | 2025 | INNOVATION |
| UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO | CHICAGO, IL | $1,457,038 | 2025 | E&O |
| WHITEHEAD INSTITUTE FOR BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $1,015,155 | 2025 | NAT-TECH |
| CORNELL UNIVERSITY | ITHACA, NY | $725,991 | 2025 | BIOTECH |
| PRESIDENT AND FELLOWS OF HARVARD COLLEGE | BOSTON, MA | $715,788 | 2025 | O&NS |
| INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS | LOS ANGELES, CA | $691,468 | 2025 | SOCHUM |
| COMMUNITY PARTNERS INTERNATIONAL | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | $665,991 | 2025 | SOCHUM |
| UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA) | NEW YORK, NY | $646,946 | 2025 | SOCHUM |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON | GALVESTON, TX | $630,494 | 2025 | INFDIS |
| US NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | WASHINGTON, DC | $513,995 | 2025 | MEDSCI |
| UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON | SEATTLE, WA | $375,778 | 2025 | MEDSCI |
| AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION | ARLINGTON, VA | $329,892 | 2025 | MEDSCI |
| AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION FOUNDATION | ROCKVILLE, MD | $252,178 | 2025 | O&NS |
| MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY | CAMBRIDGE, MA | $150,816 | 2025 | NAT-TECH |
| BOSTON UNIVERSITY | — | $25,205,437 | 2024 | INFDIS |
| FOUNDATION FOR FOOD & AGRICULTURE RESEARCH (FFAR) | — | $1,006,737 | 2024 | BIOTECH |
| US NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES | — | $740,313 | 2024 | NAT-TECH |
| INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE | — | $738,737 | 2024 | SOCHUM |
| JOSLIN DIABETES CENTER | — | $148,063 | 2024 | MEDSCI |
| BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL | — | $128,415 | 2024 | O&NS |
| UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL | — | $74,031 | 2024 | MEDSCI |
NREL FOUNDATION
$1,953,680BIOTECH
REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA DAVIS CAMPUS
$1,898,517INNOVATION
NAT-TECH
UNITED NATIONS POPULATION FUND (UNFPA)
$646,946SOCHUM
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MEDICAL BRANCH AT GALVESTON
$630,494INFDIS
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
$375,778MEDSCI
AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR NUTRITION FOUNDATION
$252,178O&NS
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL
$74,031MEDSCI
