NIMH Funding Policies and Considerations

Visit NIH Fiscal Policies for NIH-wide information on appropriations and other budgetary information (salary limits, stipends, tuition/fees) and Funding Decisions to learn about NIH's consistent and unified approach for making funding decisions. The NIMH-specific information on this page builds on that general information.

On this page:

Fiscal Year 2026

When making funding decisions, NIMH considers the following points relating to individual projects: 

  • alignment of the application with the NIMH Strategic Plan for Research, Highlighted Topics, and/or additional agency priorities
  • peer review information in its entirety
  • the technical or conceptual innovation of proposed research 
  • current and past NIMH and NIH investment in the research area, to ensure portfolio balance across all programmatic areas and basic, translational, and clinical research
  • researchers at risk of losing NIH funding or researchers new to NIH funding
  • recommendations from the National Advisory Mental Health Council
  • availability of funds

NIMH also supports the Next Generation Researchers Initiative and will prioritize funding for early-stage investigators. 

Cost Management

NIMH continues to apply NIH cost management guidelines when making grant awards.  NIMH anticipates awarding non-competing projects at 100% of the negotiated funding level. As in prior fiscal years, inflationary increases for future year commitments are not provided for competing and non-competing research grant awards.

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