Oncology research funding supports clinical trials, cancer centers, laboratory programs, and research intended to improve prevention, treatment, survivorship, and quality of life. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) reported total annual budgets from $5,636.4 million in 2017 to $7,221.1 million in 2023. In fiscal year 2024, NCI funds available totaled $7.2 billion, including support for cancer data, survivorship, investigator-led grants, and cancer control research.
Contents
- NCI budget trends
- Clinical-trial and site-specific funding
- Fiscal year 2024 grants and awards
- Extramural and intramural research
- Cancer centers and research project grants
- Cancer control research
NCI budget trends
The NCI Research Funding figures show a generally rising total budget across the 2017–2023 measurement period. The annual totals were $5,636.4 million in 2017, $5,927.7 million in 2018, $5,992.3 million in 2019, $6,383.3 million in 2020, $6,467.0 million in 2021, $6,833.6 million in 2022, and $7,221.1 million in 2023. These are annual NCI budget figures, not estimates of the total cost of cancer research from all public or private sources.
| Year | NCI total budget | Clinical-trial funding |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $5,636.4 million | $806.6 million |
| 2018 | $5,927.7 million | $889.8 million |
| 2019 | $5,992.3 million | $794.3 million |
| 2020 | $6,383.3 million | $843.0 million |
| 2021 | $6,467.0 million | $824.6 million |
| 2022 | $6,833.6 million | $857.6 million |
| 2023 | $7,221.1 million | $852.3 million |
Clinical-trial funding did not move upward in every year. NCI Research Funding listed $806.6 million in 2017 and $889.8 million in 2018, followed by $794.3 million in 2019. The amount was $843.0 million in 2020, $824.6 million in 2021, $857.6 million in 2022, and $852.3 million in 2023. The figures show year-to-year variation within a broader period when the total NCI budget increased.
For families and caregivers, clinical research funding is relevant because trials can involve new treatments, supportive-care approaches, and ways to improve outcomes during and after cancer treatment. The funding totals alone do not identify how many studies were open, how many patients participated, or which caregiver services were included.
Clinical-trial and site-specific funding
NCI Research Funding also reported funding by selected cancer site. Across the 2017–2023 period, breast cancer funding was $545.1 million in 2017, $574.9 million in 2018, $545.3 million in 2019, $514.6 million in 2020, $558.3 million in 2021, $580.6 million in 2022, and $542.0 million in 2023.
Lung cancer funding was $320.6 million in 2017 and $350.1 million in 2018. It reached $418.4 million in 2019, then measured $402.8 million in 2020, $459.0 million in 2021, $477.4 million in 2022, and $435.0 million in 2023. These amounts are cancer-site funding figures for the stated years; they do not represent the incidence or mortality of lung cancer.
Leukemia funding totaled $250.5 million in 2017, $258.3 million in 2018, $256.6 million in 2019, $244.5 million in 2020, $276.0 million in 2021, $287.0 million in 2022, and $270.6 million in 2023. Pancreatic cancer funding was $178.3 million in 2017, $182.1 million in 2018, $187.0 million in 2019, $178.5 million in 2020, $218.1 million in 2021, $226.8 million in 2022, and $246.0 million in 2023.
The four site-specific series illustrate different patterns. Breast cancer funding fluctuated around the mid-$500 million range. Lung cancer funding was higher in 2021 and 2022 than in the earlier years listed. Leukemia funding stayed within the stated $244.5 million to $287.0 million range. Pancreatic cancer funding was below $200 million from 2017 through 2020 and above $200 million in each year from 2021 through 2023.
These research allocations should not be read as a ranking of patient need. A funding amount can reflect the scope of a research portfolio, the types of studies underway, and the budget structure used by the source. It does not, by itself, measure the burden experienced by patients or unpaid caregivers.
Fiscal year 2024 grants and awards
The NCI Budget Fact Book reported $7.2 billion in funds available in fiscal year 2024. The fiscal year 2024 budget increased by 1.7% from the previous fiscal year and by $120 million from that fiscal year. Those two figures describe the reported year-over-year change and should not be interpreted as a forecast for later budgets.
NCI funded 5,739 RPGs in fiscal year 2024. RPG refers to research project grants in the source’s funding description. Of these, 1,224 were competing RPGs, excluding Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grants. NCI also funded 199 SBIR and STTR awards totaling $158.5 million.
The fiscal year 2024 Budget Fact Book included $50 million for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative and $28 million for the Childhood Cancer Survivorship, Treatment, Access, and Research Act. These targeted amounts sit within the broader fiscal year 2024 NCI funding picture and show that the budget included both research infrastructure and survivorship-related priorities.
For caregiver-support readers, the survivorship allocation is especially relevant as a named research and policy area. However, the supplied fiscal year 2024 figures do not quantify how much of that allocation directly paid for caregiver programs, caregiver training, respite services, or household support.
Extramural and intramural research
NCI Extramural Funding reported $5,350,661,389 in extramural obligations in fiscal year 2024. Grants accounted for 82.8% of extramural funding, while contracts accounted for 17.2%. This split describes the composition of the reported extramural obligations rather than the total NCI budget.
Research and development contracts totaled $888,211,673 in fiscal year 2024. Research project grants totaled $3,129,796,011. NCI cancer centers, specialized centers, and SPORES accounted for $606,359,172. The same source reported $1,870,255,014 in intramural/RMS funds.
| Fiscal year 2024 funding category | Reported amount or share |
|---|---|
| Extramural obligations | $5,350,661,389 |
| Grants as a share of extramural funding | 82.8% |
| Contracts as a share of extramural funding | 17.2% |
| Research and development contracts | $888,211,673 |
| Research project grants | $3,129,796,011 |
| Cancer centers, specialized centers, and SPORES | $606,359,172 |
| Intramural/RMS funds | $1,870,255,014 |
Extramural funding supports research outside the NCI’s own intramural programs, while intramural/RMS funds are reported separately by the source. The categories should not be added together without a defined accounting framework, because the source presents them as different parts of its funding reporting. They also should not be treated as direct measures of the number of patients, caregivers, or clinical trials served.
Cancer centers and research project grants
The fiscal year 2024 amounts show the scale of several major NCI funding channels. Research project grants were reported at $3,129,796,011, making them the largest of the specifically named extramural categories in the supplied NCI Extramural Funding figures. Research and development contracts totaled $888,211,673, while cancer centers, specialized centers, and SPORES totaled $606,359,172.
The NCI Budget Fact Book separately reported 5,739 RPGs funded in fiscal year 2024 and 1,224 competing RPGs excluding SBIR and STTR grants. The dollar total for research project grants and the number of RPGs answer different questions: one describes funding obligations, while the other describes the count of funded awards. Neither figure states an average award size, and no average should be inferred from these totals.
Cancer centers, specialized centers, and SPORES can connect research portfolios with institutions and organized programs. The reported $606,359,172 does not specify how much supported caregiver-focused studies, patient navigation, family services, or supportive care. Those areas may be part of broader cancer research activity, but the supplied figures do not quantify their individual shares.
Cancer control research
The Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (DCCPS) reported $583 million in cancer control research grants in fiscal year 2024. It also reported 925 cancer control research grants for that fiscal year. The source label for both figures is “DCCPS Investments in Cancer Control Research.”
Cancer control research is closely connected to the practical concerns of patients and families because it concerns research beyond a single treatment decision, including population-level cancer control questions. Still, the supplied statistics do not break the $583 million or the 925 grants into caregiver support, prevention, screening, survivorship, quality of life, or access categories.
The grant count and funding total should be kept distinct. The 925 grants measure the number of reported cancer control research grants, while $583 million measures the reported funding amount. Without additional award-level detail, it is not possible to determine the distribution of funding across the grants or to calculate a reliable typical grant amount.
Taken together, the available statistics describe a large federal oncology research system: NCI’s total budget rose from $5,636.4 million in 2017 to $7,221.1 million in 2023; fiscal year 2024 funds available were $7.2 billion; extramural obligations were $5,350,661,389; and DCCPS reported $583 million across 925 cancer control research grants. These figures establish the scale and structure of investment while leaving the caregiver-specific portion unquantified.