Science Policy Hub

Federal Grant Funding Updates

AAMC Dashboard and Funding Data Briefs 

The AAMC has been closely monitoring and analyzing the current state of National Institutes of Health (NIH) extramural funding, including overall obligations and funds flow, new awards, and grant terminations.

Tracking NIH Funding Data Dashboard: This page tracks multiple funding indicators for fiscal year (FY) 2026, including total awards, funding obligated, research training grants issued, and the use of multi-year funding. It will be updated regularly to provide timely insights into NIH funding trends.

AAMC Federal Research Funding Data Briefs: Ongoing analysis of changes to research funding since FY 2025.

FY 2026

• March 2026: Tracking NIH Awards in FY 2026 (October 1 - March 20)

FY 2025

• Aug. 2025: NIH Awards Billions of Dollars Less in Research Funds
• June 2025: Impact of NIH Grant Terminations: Training and Career Development
• May 2025: Impact of NIH Grant Terminations: Clinical Trials

Facilities & Administrative Costs

The AAMC is actively engaged in the ongoing discussion on federal reimbursement of institutional facilities and administrative (F&A) costs, also known as indirect costs. We encourage our community to participate in the work of the Joint Associations Group on Indirect Costs (JAG). 

NIH Funding Updates

• NIH issued a new Grants Policy Statement in March 2026, noting significant changes to the policy. 
• NIH funding opportunities are available through Grants.gov as of FY26, and also collected on the NIH site.  
• The pages NIH Grants and Funding Information Status and Implementation of New Initiatives and Policies describe changes to NIH grants and funding policies and processes under new priorities. These policy notices are available in the NIH Guide for Grants and Contracts.
• In 2025, the NIH announced a Unified Funding Strategy and a series of core tenets, stating that the strategy would “help ensure (NIH) continue(s) to support the most scientifically meritorious research ideas possible, address health priorities, and support a robust biomedical workforce.” The framework was implemented during the first round of NIH Advisory Council meetings in Jan. 2026.
  • Director's Statement
  • Final NIH Policy
  • NIH FAQ on Funding Decisions 
  • ICO Funding Policies and Considerations 
  • NIH IC Director Perspectives 
• As of June 2025, NIH has begun forward funding certain research project grants (RPGs).

Learn more about forward funding

Federal Research-Related Litigation 

The AAMC is engaged in or closely following litigation on issues affecting federally funded biomedical research, including NIH grant terminations and indirect cost rates.

Access all Research-Related Litigation Updates

Policy Issues the AAMC is Monitoring 

• Other significant changes to NIH grant policies and processes include disabling No-Cost Extension functionality in eRA Commons and changing award structures such that foreign subawards can no longer be nested under a parent grant. 
• The White House on May 5 released an Executive Order on the safety and security of biological research, which will pause all "dangerous gain of function research," as defined in Section 8 of the order. The executive order also pulls back the 2024 policies "United States Government Policy for Oversight of Dual Use Research of Concern and Pathogens with Enhanced Pandemic Potential" and "Framework for Nucleic Acid Synthesis Screening." Further information is available in a fact sheet and two implementation notices from the NIH (June 18) (May 7). 
• Institutions with active international research programs will likely be impacted by a final rule from the Department of Justice (DOJ) limiting access to Americans' "bulk sensitive personal data" and government-related data by "countries of concern." DOJ on April 11 issued a compliance guide, FAQs, and an implementation and enforcement policy for the final rule. The AAMC previously responded to both an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on this issue.

Forthcoming Implementation Deadlines  

• The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued a final rule revising the regulations governing Public Health Service Policies on Research Misconduct, which must be implemented through new institutional policies and procedures by Jan. 1, 2026. For more information, visit the HHS Office of Research Integrity.

Federal Scientific Leadership

• HHS Secretary: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. 
• NIH Director: Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD 
  • NIH Leadership Page 
  • Directors of NIH Institutes and Centers 
  • NIH Deputy Director for Extramural Research
• FDA Commissioner: Martin Makary, MD, MPH
• Director, FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research: Tracy Beth Høeg, MD, PhD
• CDC Acting Director: Jay Bhattacharya, MD, PhD (Erica Schwartz, MD, JD, MPH nomimated, pending confirmation) 
• NSF Director: Jim O’Neill (nominated, pending confirmation)
• OSTP Director: Michael Kratsios 
• ARPA-H: Alicia Jackson, PhD
• CMS Administrator: Mehmet Oz, MD 
• Surgeon General: Vacant (Nominee: Nicole Saphier, MD)