WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Health and Human Services began accepting fiscal year 2027 Title X grant applications on March 13, 2026, after the Trump administration delayed the standard application process for the federal reproductive health care program. HHS gave clinics one week to submit their applications, a timeline that arrived shortly before the program's annual funds are typically renewed on April 1.

Title X–funded clinics provide reproductive health services — including birth control, cancer screenings, wellness exams, and HIV testing — to more than 2.8 million people across the country. Many of those service recipients are low-income, uninsured, or underinsured.

Clinics were expected to use their 2025 Title X award funds by March 31, 2026, though they can request government permission to roll over remaining funds into the next fiscal year. HHS typically takes between 70 and 90 days to review Title X grant applications, a review period that extends well past the April 1 date when current funding cycles end. A spokesperson said HHS will issue new fiscal year 2027 Notices of Funding Opportunity for the program matching agency priorities.

Brian Haile, CEO of the Neighborhood Health network, which operates 12 clinics in the Nashville, Tennessee, area, said he has been working on contingency plans for the network's clinics assuming that new Title X funding will not arrive by the start of the new funding cycle. Neighborhood Health's clinics are among the providers that depend on Title X dollars to serve patients.

The Title X program was enacted in 1970 under President Richard Nixon. It was originally designed to reduce unintended pregnancies by making contraception available regardless of income. The program has since expanded to include fertility services, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and tests and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

Title X–funded clinics offer services on a sliding scale based on family size and income. Families with incomes at or below 100% of the federal poverty level — approximately $33,000 for a four-person household — qualify for free care at those clinics. Federal law prohibits Title X–funded clinics from denying care to patients who cannot afford to pay.