Congress allocated $581 million to NASA Glenn this fiscal year, and President Barack Obama's budget bumps that up three percent to $601 million for 2016.
Glenn director Jim Free is happy to see his budget trending upward, but he may still have to reduce his full-time staff as part of an agency-wide cost-cutting measure.
NASA headquarters in Washington wants Glenn to cut 22 employees, but Free says that number will depend on the center's long-term research goals.
"If I manage to a number then I lose sight of how are we relevant to our technologies and our missions in the overall agency. And I believe that our relevancy is strong, so 22 to me is…we'll figure that out."
NASA is looking to cut 200 jobs, or 1 percent of its workforce system-wide.
Free says any cuts at Glenn will come through attrition and buyouts.