NIH Fiscal Policies

This page provides the latest information about NIH fiscal policies to help you better understand NIH’s approach to grant funding.

NIH Budget Overview

Current and historical NIH budget information from the NIH Office of Budget
Funding Patterns by NIH Institute and Center
Summary statistics on the NIH-funded portfolio from the NIH Data Book

NIH Institute and Center Funding Strategies

The NIH Institute, Center, and Office (ICOs) Profiles include a link to each ICO's Funding Strategy. (Some ICOs use a different label, e.g., Fiscal Policy, Financial Management Plan, Paylines, Operating Guidelines, or Grant Funding Plan.)

NIH Salary Cap

Congress legislatively mandates a limitation on salary for individuals under NIH grant and cooperative agreement awards. The mandate appears in the annual appropriation act that provides authority for NIH to incur obligations for a given fiscal year (FY).

The amount of salary that can be provided to an individual through grant and cooperative agreement funds cannot exceed Executive Level II of the Federal Executive Pay Scale (Office of Personnel Management Salaries & Wages). For FY 1990 through FY 2024, the salary cap applied only to direct salaries. Effective for FY 2025, the salary cap applies to both:

Direct salaries (individuals working directly on NIH projects).
Indirect salaries (executive salaries in various uncapped cost pools).

Salary Cap Summary (FY 1990 - Present)

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NIH Budget Overview

NIH Institute and Center Funding Strategies

NIH Salary Cap