FY2026 Science Budget Signed: How Every Major Agency Landed
March 30, 2026 · 2 min read
Jared Klein
The FY2026 appropriations package is law, and the research community can exhale. After months of brinkmanship over proposed cuts that would have gutted federal science, Congress delivered a budget that largely preserves agency funding at or near FY2025 levels — rejecting White House proposals that ranged from a 40 percent NIH reduction to a 57 percent NSF cut.
Here is where every major science agency landed and what it means for grant seekers.
The Final Numbers
The National Science Foundation received $8.75 billion, including $7.18 billion for research activities supporting nearly 10,000 new awards and more than 250,000 researchers. That is a 3.4 percent nominal decline from FY2025's roughly $9 billion — a real cut, but a far cry from the administration's request.
The National Institutes of Health secured $48.7 billion, a $415 million increase that also blocks the proposed 15 percent indirect cost rate cap.
NASA held at $24.44 billion, preserving the Science Mission Directorate's 55 missions that had been targeted for a 47 percent reduction.
The Department of Energy (non-defense) received $16.78 billion, with $8.4 billion for the Office of Science and $3.1 billion for energy efficiency and renewable energy programs.
NOAA landed at $6.17 billion, maintaining weather and climate satellite programs and boosting National Weather Service staffing to $1.46 billion. The EPA held at $8.82 billion, preserving state-level clean water and air protection programs.
What Survived — and What Didn't
Core grant-making programs across agencies are funded and operational. NSF CAREER awards, NIH R01s, DOE Early Career Research, and NASA research solicitations will proceed on roughly normal timelines. The biggest programmatic casualty was the effective cancellation of several new-start initiatives that agencies had proposed but Congress declined to fund at requested levels.
Positioning for the New Fiscal Year
With budgets settled, agencies are now releasing solicitations at an accelerated pace to obligate funds within the fiscal year. Grant seekers should monitor Grants.gov and agency-specific portals closely through summer, when the bulk of new opportunities will post.
For agency-by-agency breakdowns and strategic guidance, visit the Granted blog.