Title X Funding Update

Title X services for up to half of Texas clients at risk after Every Body Texas receives partial funding

Every Body Texas estimates that as many as half of its clients could lose access to family planning services supported by Title X (Ten) if the program's funding remains at just $7 million for the year.

On Saturday, March 29, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded Every Body Texas a partial grant for the Title X Family Planning Program for the 2026 grant year, which runs from April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026. The award is less than half of the $15.4 million received during the previous year.

“This is a major blow to family planning services across Texas,” said Kristie Bardell, CEO of Every Body Texas. “Without the guarantee of additional funding, we cannot sustain current levels of support for our statewide clinic network that serves more than 187,000 clients.”

The notice included vague language suggesting that additional funds may be awarded later in the year, “if it is in the best interest of the government,” with consideration given to organizational performance and fund availability. However, there are no specifics on how or when such a determination will be made, or how much additional funding would be awarded.

“Every Body Texas is having to make difficult decisions about how to continue supporting more than 150 clinics in our statewide network with little insight into what comes next,” Bardell said. “We’re in a place of uncertainty, and our clinics are left with fewer resources to meet growing need.”
 

Texas Clinics and Clients at Risk

Texas is home to 1.9 million women of reproductive age in need of publicly funded family planning services, and it has the highest uninsured rate in the country. Every Body Texas had served as the state’s primary Title X grantee for more than a decade. In that time, the number of clients served has grown by more than 60% from 117,477 to 187,473.

Title X is the only federal program solely dedicated to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services, including birth control, breast and cervical cancer screenings, STI treatment, and basic infertility treatment.

“This isn’t just about funding,” Bardell said. “It’s about real people losing access to essential care. When reproductive healthcare disappears, cancer goes undetected, rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs rise, and the health gap grows wider. We’re risking decades of public health progress—and people’s lives.”

As the Title X administrator for Texas, Every Body Texas distributes these federal dollars to clinics across the state that provide free or affordable preventive reproductive healthcare to low- and middle-income Texans without insurance. Many clients who receive Title X services do not qualify for Medicaid or state programs like Healthy Texas Women, making Title X their only source of care.

For many clinics, Title X is a critical funding source that keeps their doors open. Unlike most public insurance programs that operate as fee-for-service, Title X dollars can be applied to a clinic’s operational costs like staff time, supplies, and other auxiliary resources required to provide care. Without this support, some clinics may no longer be able to serve anyone in their communities, even clients whose care isn’t paid for by Title X.

“What we’ve seen historically is that once clinics close their doors, it is incredibly challenging—if not impossible—for them to reopen,” Bardell said.

With investments like Healthy Texas Women and the state Family Planning Program, Texas leadership has acknowledged the critical importance of women’s preventive health services. Legislators are poised to maintain that commitment in the current 89th Texas Legislature with full funding for these programs. This state-level investment is vital but isn’t a replacement for the critical role that Title X dollars serve in Texas.
 

Title X At Risk Nationally

The partial award in Texas reflects similar developments across the national Title X network. Of the award notices sent to Title X administrators across the country, 15 states—like Texas—received significantly reduced awards. Eight states received no funding at all.  

In all, awards were frozen for 16 grantees. Some may be eligible to receive funding if they resolve concerns raised by HHS. At this time, the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is actively advocating for the restoration of funds.

Despite the uncertainty, Every Body Texas remains committed to supporting its statewide network to the fullest extent possible. If additional federal funding is released later this year, the organization hopes to restore clinic allocations and continue increasing access to high-quality, unbiased reproductive healthcare across Texas.