NIH autism research funding has collapsed since Mr. Kennedy became HHS Secretary. I wrote about this in my open letter to the IACC. Then I got curious: are the cuts limited to autism, or is this happening across NIH? The answer: it’s everywhere, and it’s worse than I expected.
Below is a graph I made after using NIH RePORTER. I checked the number and funding amount of new grants from NIH. Note that I pro-rated the 2026 information since the fiscal year goes until Sept 30. Funding for ongoing grants is one thing, new grants tells us what the future will look like and what the priorities of this Secretary are.
Let’s put this simply: this Secretary does not value research. NIH is funding new projects at 25% of the level under the previous administration. Sixty percent fewer grants. Seventy-five percent less funding.
Take NIMH (the National Institute for Mental Health), which is a primary source for autism research. Grants are down over 50% in number and more than 75% in funding.
Several CDC centers that previously appeared in NIH Reporter as grant-funding entities show zero new NIH grants in FY2026. Whether these centers have been formally eliminated, absorbed into HHS’s new structure, or simply lost their grant-making authority isn’t entirely clear — but the result is the same: no new research from these centers through NIH.
These sites had projects listed in 2025, but not in 2026.
CLC — Clinical Center (NIH’s research hospital in Bethesda)
NIOSH — National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (part of CDC)
NCCDPHP — National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (CDC)
ATSDR — Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (HHS, administered alongside CDC)
NCEZID — National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (CDC)
GHC — Global Health Center (CDC)
NCIRD — National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (CDC)
AHRQ — Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (HHS)
Other non-NIH centers had their NIH funding cut dramatically NCIPC (the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC) is down to nearly zero.
If you follow Mr. Kennedy’s social media feed, you will see that he wants to be seen as a champion of Native Americans. Rationalize that against the fact that he cut about 90% of new grants for the NIMHD: The National Institute for Minority Health and Health Disparities. Look at NIMHD’s homepage today:
My guess? Research into health disparities among minorities, even Native Americans whom Mr. Kennedy purports to champion, is woke. Am I surprised that Mr. Kennedy is willing to sacrifice his supposed core beliefs to please President Trump? Not at all. Mr. Kennedy is a politician. Always has been.
Research benefits Americans. Plain and simple. We can talk about blockbuster GLP-1’s or other in-the-news medical advances. I’ll just say simply: someone I love would be dead now if it weren’t for epilepsy drugs. I don’t want progress to stop.
Many of you read this blog because autism affects your life. The medical comorbidities our community faces — epilepsy, sleep disorders, mental health — are exactly the kinds of conditions that need research to improve. When NIH stops funding new research, those of us who depend on better medicine pay the price. Contact your senators and representatives. Tell them: find a way to make Mr. Kennedy fund the research.
-By Matt Carey
Left Brain Right Brain 
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