The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency responsible for conducting and supporting basic medical research. The NIH has 27 Institutes and Centers, each responsible for funding reseach within a particular field (e.g., cancer, infectious disease, mental health, etc.).

Spinal Muscular Atrophy research is funded through two Institutes of NIH: the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The mission of NINDS is to reduce the burden of neurological disease while the mission of NICHD is to ensure that every person is born healthy and that all children have the chance to achieve their full potential for healthy and productive lives.

Below is a chart that shows funding levels for the NIH, NINDS, NICHD, and SMA research at the NIH over the past five years.