How Many Research Grants Did the National Cancer Institute Cancel in 2025?
Laura Schmidt | 12.31.25
A new study highlights the scale and scope of the Trump administration’s termination of National Cancer Institute (NCI) research grants since it slashed cancer research funding in early 2025 and cut down on studies centering race, gender and minority populations and diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI.
The study found that 181 individual NCI-funded grants have been terminated since early 2025, with a total award amount of nearly $640,868,000 and an estimated $317,098,500 in unspent funds.
The study authors noted: “The [NCI] is the largest funder of cancer research globally, serving as the U.S. government’s principal agency for cancer research and training. The NCI leads, conducts and supports cancer research through a broad portfolio of basic, translational and population-based studies that guides advances in cancer prevention, diagnosis and treatment.”
Published in JAMA, the cross-sectional study identified terminated grants from 65 institutions throughout the United States, including 36 NCI-designated cancer centers.
Disrupted grants affected most states and many public and private institutions. Compared with all active grants in 2024, Massachusetts had a disproportionately higher number of terminated grants (87), while California and Texas had significantly fewer terminated grants (10 and 4, respectively).
When categorized by disease type, terminated awards were often related to general oncology (65 grants, or 35.9% of canceled awards), colorectal cancer (19 grants; 10.5%) and breast cancer (17 grants; 9.4%), according to the study.
In addition, many grant terminations affected research trainees and junior faculty, suggesting that grant terminations not only interrupted the continuity of research studies but also threatened the career trajectories of early-stage investigators. This may negatively impact the future research workforce and innovation pipeline, according to researchers.
To read more about the study, go here.
In related news, another recent study found that over 74,000 people enrolled in medical studies and clinical trials, including cancer research, were impacted by grant terminations initiated by the Trump administration.
The report showed that between the end of February and mid-August, 383 studies—testing treatments for cancer, heart disease, brain disease and more—have been affected by NIH cuts. What’s more, the cuts disproportionately impacted research into infectious diseases, including the flu, pneumonia and COVID-19.
“The types of trials that are affected are among the most rigorous ways that we generate scientific evidence: randomized clinical trials,” study author and Harvard Medical School professor Anupam Jena, PhD, told CBS News. “Clinical trials are important, gold-standard in terms of evidence generation, time-intensive and costly. Those are the last types of studies we would want to stop midstream.”
