Children with severe traumatic brain injuries are discovering newfound confidence and community at specialized camps across the country, even as federal support for brain injury research faces an uncertain future. Camp Cranium in Pennsylvania and similar programs serve hundreds of young survivors annually, offering activities like rock climbing, archery, and zip-lining alongside peer support. However, recent CDC staff reductions and the lapse of the federal Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Act have left experts worried about long-term impacts on prevention and surveillance efforts.

What Is Happening to Brain Injury Research Funding?

The landscape for traumatic brain injury research shifted dramatically in early 2025 when the Trump administration laid off hundreds of CDC employees, including the entire team dedicated to tracking and studying TBIs. This occurred just as the CDC was preparing to launch a nationwide concussion surveillance system, a critical tool for understanding the true scope of brain injuries across America.

The funding crisis deepened when Congress failed to renew the Traumatic Brain Injury Act, which had provided federal support since 1996. The act had been reauthorized four times with bipartisan backing until 2024, when it lapsed. Congress is currently considering whether to reauthorize it through 2030.

The numbers tell a stark story. When the TBI Act was last reauthorized, it provided $23 million annually from 2020 to 2024, split evenly between CDC concussion research and state-level programs. In 2026, Congress appropriated only $8.25 million through the Consolidated Appropriations Act, a 64% reduction.

"The TBI Act is the only piece of federal funding for traumatic brain injury at the federal level," said Rick Willis, president and CEO of the Brain Injury Association of America. "We're aiming to preserve what we have."

Rick Willis, President and CEO, Brain Injury Association of America

How Many Americans Experience Traumatic Brain Injuries?

The scale of the problem is larger than most people realize. Annually, an estimated 2.8 million Americans experience a TBI, including approximately 475,000 children, according to the Brain Injury Association of America. However, these numbers likely undercount the true prevalence.

In 2018, the CDC piloted a household survey asking Americans about TBIs. The results revealed that such injuries, often called "hidden" because the damage is internal and invisible, are far more widespread than hospitalization data suggests. Many people with brain injuries never seek emergency care or receive a formal diagnosis, making accurate tracking difficult.

"Brain injury can happen to anybody," said Rebeccah Wolfkiel, executive director of the National Association of State Head Injury Administrators. "This community deserves more."

Rebeccah Wolfkiel, Executive Director, National Association of State Head Injury Administrators

How Are Brain Injury Camps Supporting Young Survivors?

Camp Cranium, operating since 2008 in rural Columbia County, Pennsylvania, serves campers ages 10 to 21 who have survived brain injuries ranging from mild to severe. Some participants have injuries so significant they must relearn basic skills like speaking and tying shoelaces. Others use wheelchairs or crutches. Yet during a week at camp, these young people climb 30-foot rock walls with hoists, swim, participate in archery, and zip-line through the forest.

The camp's existence reflects a decades-long national trend: more people, including children, now survive brain-injuring crises than in the 1980s. This improvement stems largely from seat belt laws and federal investments in research and trauma centers capable of treating injuries quickly.

Operations director Drew Meyer described witnessing the transformation in campers. "They will surprise you, like, flat out," he said of the young survivors. "They'll come out here, and they'll shoot for three hours and start hitting the target".

Drew Meyer

Ways Brain Injury Camps Help Young Survivors Thrive

• Peer Community: Campers connect with others who have experienced similar injuries, reducing social isolation and building confidence through shared understanding.
• Physical Rehabilitation: Activities like rock climbing, swimming, and archery help participants rebuild strength, coordination, and motor skills in a supportive environment.
• Emotional Support: Camp provides a space where young survivors can process their experiences and discover that meaningful social connections are possible despite their injuries.
• Family Resources: Parents and caregivers gain access to information, support networks, and practical strategies for long-term recovery and adaptation.

One camper, Brianna Engleman, now 21, first attended Camp Cranium as a teenager in 2018 after undergoing a hemispherectomy at age 5 to relieve debilitating seizures. "I've gotten more confident," she said. "It made me think, well, there's actually good people out there." She now plans to return as a counselor to support other campers.

Another participant, Lucas Hardy, suffered a traumatic brain injury at age 3 when a tree branch fell on him at a birthday party. At camp, he climbed the rock wall with assistance from a hoist, demonstrating resilience that moved observers to tears.

Camp Cranium's executive director, Tony Sadowski, learned about the program when a speech therapist recommended it for his son, Bryan, who experienced a brain bleed causing a hemorrhagic stroke at age 6. Now 18, Bryan has attended camp for years and is preparing to study occupational therapy at Elizabethtown College. "You're in the emergency room, not knowing what version of your son's going to wake up," Sadowski recalled of the initial crisis. "We're very lucky to be able to be here".

Why Is Federal Funding Uncertainty Concerning Experts?

While the handful of brain injury camps, including Camp Cranium and Bright Ideas TBI Camp in Alabama, remain unaffected because they rely on private donations rather than federal grants, the broader research and prevention infrastructure faces serious challenges.

The Department of Health and Human Services stated that the CDC is working to establish a cost-effective national concussion surveillance system within current funding constraints. The agency said it dedicated 2026 funds to support an educational campaign about concussions, an injury prevention program, and concussion surveillance.

However, experts remain concerned. Rebeccah Wolfkiel expressed worry about how the CDC layoffs and funding impasse will affect brain injury research and prevention efforts over the long term. "The lack of resources and programs and information that's out there is really just sort of appalling," she stated.

Rebeccah Wolfkiel

The uncertainty extends to Congress, where lawmakers are still deliberating whether to reauthorize the TBI Act through 2030. Notably, Trump's secretary of homeland security, Markwayne Mullin, supported reauthorizing the funding when he served as a senator, suggesting potential bipartisan interest in restoring support.

For families and advocates, the message is clear: brain injury survivors deserve sustained investment in research, prevention, and community support. The young people thriving at camps like Camp Cranium represent both the progress made possible by decades of federal commitment and the fragility of that progress when funding lapses.