The National Science Foundation annually collects statistical data from the 15 federal agencies that accounted for an estimated 95 percent of total obligations (for both science/engineering (S/E) and non-S/E activities) to academic institutions and for over 98 percent of all support for S/E research and development at these institutions. This report, the sixteenth in a series presenting data on federal obligations to universities and colleges, divided into three parts, each part presenting charts summarizing data for fiscal year 1981 in graphical format with a short discussion. Areas addressed include: (1) federal support of academic institutions; (2) federal obligations to university-administered federally funded research and development centers (FFRDC); and (3) independent nonprofit institutions and nonprofit-administered FFRDC's. Fifty-four detailed statistical tables (comprising the major portion of the report) are found in an appendix. Among the data provided in these tables are: obligations to academic institutitons distributed according to highest, degree-granting categories of doctorate, master's, bachelor's, and no S/E degrees; obligations distributed according to National Center for Education Statistics categories (doctorate-granting, comprehensive, general baccalaureate, professional/specialized, and 2 year); and (for the first time) obligations to the 105 historically black colleges by type of activity. (JN)