Research Funded by National Institutes of Health Concerning Sexual and Gender Minoritized Populations: A Tracking Update for 2012 to 2022.

Abstract

Objectives. To investigate trends in awards funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) focusing on sexual and gender minoritized (SGM) populations from 2012 to 2022 in the United States. Methods. Replicating the method of Coulter et al., we identified NIH-funded awards for SGM research from 2012 to 2022 using the NIH RePORTER (Research Portfolio Online Reporting Tools Expenditures and Results) system. We coded for SGM subpopulations, demographics, and health content areas. We also inflation adjusted awards to 2022 dollar values. Results. NIH funded 1093 unique awards concerning SGM health, which totaled $491.7 million in first-year funding and made up 0.8% of the NIH portfolio. Frequency of awards nearly tripled over our study period. Most awards focused on HIV/AIDS (65.5%), mental health (29.5%), illicit drug use (19.9%), or sexual health issues (17.0%). We found funding differences across subpopulations: sexually minoritized men (67.8%; $357.9 million), transgender women (18.1%; $77.6 million), sexually minoritized women (13.9%; $57.6 million), transgender men (8.2%; $37.6 million), and nonbinary people (4.4%; $17.6 million). Only 42.2% of awards explicitly examined racial/ethnic identities of participants. Conclusions. Although NIH funding for SGM-related research has increased, persistent inequities indicate the need for systemic changes to advance health equity. (Am J Public Health. 2025;115(3):374-386. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2024.307913).