Federal Funding Updates
The UH Division of Research will continue to update this webpage with resources for recent and upcoming changes to proposals, awards, and agency operations during the federal administration transition. Please submit any questions pertaining to these federal funding updates through the question box at the bottom of this page.
Presidential Actions: For up-to-date information on White House Executive Orders
Proposals
Announcements for funding opportunities may be revoked or changed. As you are preparing to submit a proposal, check back frequently whether the announcement is still available and/or has changed.
The changes we are currently seeing may affect funding announcements, proposal deadlines, review committee meeting schedules, award reporting requirements, and other grant-related activities. However, plan for currently announced proposal deadlines and do not assume they will be changed.
Awards
For federal projects already funded, continue your work as planned unless you receive a stop work order from your sponsor. Report any official communications from your sponsor that may impact your award to doraward@central.uh.edu. Since agencies have started to pause review panels, we expect delays in new awards as agencies work to resume operations.
Review your grant agreement. Closely monitor your award budget. Anticipated funding is subject to availability of funding and is not guaranteed.
Agency Updates
- The OMB Memorandum M-25-13: "Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs" was rescinded on January 29, 2025.
- NEW Education Department pauses research contracts and cuts DEI training grants (Politico, February 10, 2025)
HRSA
- NEW (February 3, 2025) HRSA PIs should have received the "Notice of Court Order," which states that "Federal agencies cannot pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB Memo, or on the basis of the President’s recently issued Executive Orders." Continue your work as planned unless you receive a stop work order (from either the agency or the prime recipient) specific to an award.
NIH
- NEW AAMC Lawsuit Results in Nationwide Temporary Restraining Order on Proposed Reduction of the IDC Rate (February 11, 2025)
- NEW NIH Cuts On Hold After States Sue (Inside Higher Ed, February 10, 2025). The order only applies to the 22 states party to the lawsuit. Texas is not party to the lawsuit.
- NEW NOT-OD-25-068: NIH has issued Supplemental Guidance introducing a reduced indirect cost rate effective February 10, 2025.
- NIH eases freeze on grant reviews imposed after Trump communications pause (Science, February 3, 2025) contains updates on review panels at NIH
- Trump hits NIH with ‘devastating’ freezes on meetings, travel, communications, and hiring (Science, January 22, 2025) links in the article to various HHS announcements
NSF
- NEW ‘My boss was crying.’ NSF confronts potentially massive layoffs and budget cuts (Science, February 7, 2025)
- NSF reexamines existing awards to comply with Trump’s directives (Science, February 4, 2025)
- Access to the Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) has been restored, and the system is available to accept payment requests as of 12:00 PM ET on February 2, 2025. See the FAQs below for more information. Fellows (GRFP, ...) must log into ACM$ and verify their payment request has been accepted. Most Fellows will have to resubmit a request.
- NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders (January 28, 2025)
- NSF Cancels Grant Reviews to ‘Ensure Compliance’ With Trump’s Executive Orders (Inside Higher Ed, January 28, 2025)
Other Resources
Questions?
FAQ
Does the 15% IDC rate apply to NIH proposal budgets as well as current awards?
We advise using the rate requested in the RFP, as the announcement made no reference to pending proposal submissions. NIH may request a revised budget, or simply reduce the awarded budget, when an award is made at the 15% IDC rate.
Updated February 11, 2025