The National Institutes of Health has opened its grant funding to a wider set of applicants, letting local governments, other federal agencies, community groups and for-profit businesses join the list of organizations that can apply for money to bolster research facilities. The move comes as part of a broader push from the Trump administration to shift scientific research away from academia.
Previously, only institutions of higher education and nonprofits could apply for these funds. Now the door is wider. The change expands the pool of organizations that can access the money meant to support research facilities.
Who Can Apply Now
The NIH announced the expansion last week. The list of eligible applicants has grown beyond universities and nonprofits to include local governments, other federal agencies, community groups and businesses. The funding supports research facilities, and the NIH now allows a broader range of organizations to compete for it.
The Trust in Science Beat
The NIH announcement arrives alongside a wave of reporting on trust in science. STAT has launched a new beat focused on that topic, with Nick Florko writing about the decline in confidence and how doctors can rebuild it.
Florko points to new polling data from the Edelman Trust Institute and the Yale School of Public Health. The poll asked people across 13 countries what they would want from a medical expert who wanted them to follow a recommendation they doubted. The top five answers ranked as critically important or very important included:
- Explaining risks and benefits
- Using language patients can understand
- Listening to make sure they understand the patient’s situation
- Welcoming doubts and addressing them patiently and without judgment
The CEOs of the Greenwall and Dana foundations made the case for these exchanges in a First Opinion piece. They argued that messaging alone cannot build trust. “Messaging can’t substitute for the relational infrastructure needed for building and sustaining trust,” they wrote.
The Kennedy Connection
The NIH news comes amid a busy stretch for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who serves as health secretary. He will deliver a keynote address at the Children’s Health Defense conference in Washington, D.C., this week.
Kennedy ran the anti-vaccine organization from 2015 to 2024 before leaving to campaign for president. Since joining the Trump administration, he has tried to distance himself from the group. But the conference represents a shift. As Isa Cueto reports, it will serve as the secretary’s first public embrace of the group since he took the helm of HHS.
Cueto quotes Kennedy’s promise to senators in January 2025: he said he would not do anything to discourage Americans from getting vaccines. The keynote address marks a break from that pledge.
What Doctors Face
Primary care doctors face a hard problem. Patients are choosing to follow unscientific advice, and the doctors have only 20 minutes to respond. That tension is at the center of a new story from WLRN, which quoted a pediatrician in Florida.
“What’s happening now is kind of like being a pilot, and every passenger on the plane wants to know what every button on the console does,” the pediatrician said.
The doctor’s analogy captures the scale of the challenge. Science is complicated, and patients want to know everything. A 20-minute visit does not allow for that.
The Immigration Toll
Another story in the newsletter focuses on how Trump administration policies have affected children’s health. About 40 percent of pediatricians surveyed by the American Academy of Pediatrics said children in their care have skipped medical appointments over the last 12 months due to fears about immigration status. Another 38 percent of respondents were unsure if immigration played a role, suggesting the actual number of affected families may be higher.
Daniel Payne laid out earlier this year how aggressive immigration enforcement has pushed patients from immigrant communities — including mothers and parents with sick children — to avoid care. No-show rates for appointments are rising across the country, and the number of vaccines given to immigrant populations has declined.
In Dallas, the local health department’s clinics gave 50 percent fewer back-to-school vaccinations to Hispanic children in August 2025 compared to August 2024.
What Comes Next
STAT’s morning newsletter, Morning Rounds, has a new writer. Amanda Erickson, who has edited the newsletter for the past year, is now writing it twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays. She is eager to hear from readers about what works and what doesn’t.
The newsletter is also collecting story suggestions for its trust in science beat. Florko invites tips at [email protected].
The NIH expansion is a signal of direction. It shows where the administration wants to push research funding.
The pieces connect in a clear order:
- The NIH announces a funding expansion, opening the door to businesses, local governments and others.
- STAT launches a trust in science beat, with polling showing patients want listening and patience from doctors.
- Kennedy delivers a keynote at an anti-vax conference, reversing his earlier distance from the group.
- Pediatricians report that fears about immigration status have caused children to miss medical appointments.
Each of these stories touches a different corner of American health care. Together, they paint a picture of a system under pressure from multiple directions.
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