This study analyzes heart transplantation funding provided by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) between 1986 and 2022. The findings offer an objective and scientific reference for heart transplantation research. CiteSpace visualization was used to present keywords in heart transplantation research. From 1986 to 2022, the NFSC disbursed ¥117.68 million to fund 259 projects related to heart transplantation. Hubei, Shanghai, Beijing, Guangdong, and Heilongjiang received the most funding. General and youth science fund projects accounted for 58.69% and 30.50%, respectively. The main discipline category was organ transplantation and transplantation immunity, accounting for 40.93%. Research hotspots included "immune tolerance," "rejection reaction," "t cell" "dendritic cell," "stem cell," and "transplantation tolerance." Research foci were "rejection reaction," "heart failure," "immune tolerance," "heart transplantation," "stem cell," "suppressor cell," "dendritic cell," "dilated cardiomyopathy," and "t cell." In the past 5 years, the research frontier has targeted "transplantation tolerance," "ischemia-reperfusion injury," and "heart transplantation." Continuous NSFC funding for heart transplantation research has promoted the development of disciplines and cultivation of talent. Novel technologies (e.g., artificial hearts and donor maintenance) have generated new requirements for heart transplantation research.