New Analysis Finds NIH Awarded 7,400 Fewer Grants

NIH obligated all of its funds for fiscal year 2026, but AAMC argues that “the health of the federally funded research system cannot be judged by whether all funding is obligated by the final deadline alone.”

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The National Institutes of Health awarded nearly 12 percent fewer grants in fiscal year 2026 compared to the year before President Trump took office, according to an analysis released Thursday.

The data from the Association of American Medical Colleges shows that NIH obligated all of its funds for fiscal years 2025 and 2026, but the way in which the agency is awarding grants continues to cause uncertainty for research institutions. NIH is funding more grants up front—a practice that allows the agency to get more money out the door but supports fewer projects over all. And the agency has yet to reinstate hundreds of grants that were frozen or terminated early in the second Trump administration.

AAMC has been tracking NIH funding for the past two years, and this latest brief offers a “look at the funding trends that have reshaped the research environment” since Trump returned to the White House.

In fiscal year 2026, NIH awarded 56,600 grants, which was a slight drop from the 58,500 awarded the previous year. But in fiscal year 2024, the agency awarded 64,000 grants. About $1.9 billion was awarded to multiyear-funded programs in fiscal year 2026; the previous year, $2.1 billion went to multiyear projects.

AAMC’s brief notes that “the health of the federally funded research system cannot be judged by whether all funding is obligated by the final deadline alone.”

“Institutions require a stable and predictable funding environment throughout the year to plan research programs, budget for faculty and staff needs, and decide on the number of incoming graduate students and postdoctoral scholars,” the authors add. “Whether a result of timing, federal personnel changes, or funding mechanisms, it is disruptive to have large swings in the pace of funding from year to year or in the total number of grants.”