At least two NYU grants have been terminated after President Donald Trump’s executive cutoff to trillions of dollars in federal aid, which puts more than half of the university’s research funding at risk. While the extent of its impact has not been determined, the freeze — currently postponed until Feb. 3 — will not affect federal student aid.
Provost Georgina Dopico and Chief Research Officer Stacie Bloom said in a Monday email to federally funded grant recipients — sent hours before the Trump administration’s memo directing federal agencies to halt all financial assistance to nonprofit organizations — that NYU received notice of two grants’ terminations over the weekend. The U.S. Department of State had only detailed that “the award does not meet the agency’s priorities,” according to the email. Dopico and Bloom did not clarify which grants were terminated.
“We have reached out to the affected researchers, taken the required steps and offered support,” the email read. “It is certainly possible, if not likely, that more such notices will come.”
A federal judge delayed the aid freeze, after a council of nonprofits sued Trump’s administration on guidance that the move was “arbitrary and capricious,” contrary to the First Amendment and beyond the executive branch’s authority.
Agencies are required to submit their finalized plans for federal assistance by Feb. 10. Trump said in his memo that cuts will affect all programs targeted in his over 300 executive actions — which include diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, environmental organizations and support for “woke gender ideology.” He has also halted medical research as part of last week’s pause on all National Institutes of Health grant approvals, which canceled NIH-funded reviews, travel and trainings.
On Tuesday, Dopico and Bloom sent a second, public memo addressed to faculty, staff and researchers at NYU on the development. They said there are “significant areas of university activity” that involve federal funding, and that the administrators were currently reviewing the development and discussing with peer institutions and higher education organizations, such as the Association of American Universities.
“Research, like teaching and learning, is a core mission for the university,” NYU spokesperson John Beckman said in a statement to WSN. “We will continue to closely monitor developments, evaluate the announcements from the federal government, consult with the organizations that represent research universities to understand the full impact and work to keep our scholars and researchers apprised about developments as we learn more.”
CAS professor Leif Ristroph, a researcher at the Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, said he hopes to receive more clear communication from NYU leadership regarding how the freeze could affect his work. Ristroph added that the lack of direction could be attributed to “higher levels” of uncertainty regarding the Trump administration’s vague orders, which have caused “widespread confusion” among experts.
“They use the term ‘pause,’ which sounds temporary and minor, but it could have major and long-lasting harmful effects,” Ristroph said in a statement to WSN. “People depend on these processes for their jobs and careers, and these are involved and coordinated processes that are not easy to shut down and restart.”
The funding freeze aims to give agencies time to decide what grants comply with the Trump administration’s ideological and economic priorities. In the past, he has proposed cuts to nearly all science and social science research while bolstering funding for artificial intelligence programs.
NYU is ranked No. 1 among New York colleges and No. 12 nationally for its research spending, according to a survey from the National Science Foundation. In 2023, the university’s national grants amounted to $787 million, comprising more than half of the $1.46 billion in total research funding it spent that year.
For each grant, NYU allocates either 61% or 26% — depending on whether the research is done on or off-campus — toward indirect costs, which cover basic equipment, clerical work and other resources incurred for common or joint activities. Under Trump’s previous administration, the university received an average of around $200 million less annually in research funding, relatively consistent with other top-ranked institutions.
Administrations at other universities, including Columbia University and Harvard University, have urged faculty to continue as usual until they receive a stop-work order directly informing them their funding has been cut.
Barbara Snyder, president of the AAU, said in a Jan. 27 statement that the pause on research risked the United States’ lead in scientific and technological advancements. Snyder added that it sets back medical advancements and other scientific work that regularly boosts the country’s health, military and economy.
“The president has said many times that he wants to make America great,” Snyder said. “Disrupting scientific advantages would undermine his goal.”
NYU receives the majority of its federal research funding — over $600 million — from the Department of Health and Human Services. Under the Biden administration, the next three largest donors were the NSF, Department of Defense and Department of Education.
“Federal funding is already very, very difficult to get — it’s very competitive,” Ivan Oransky, a science journalist and distinguished journalist in residence at NYU, told WSN. “Now it appears that could be in jeopardy, even temporarily, and that’s a pretty big deal.”
After facing backlash for the initial memo’s nonspecificity, the Trump administration published a Q&A clarifying that some forms of federal aid — including Pell Grants, federal work-study and student loans — will not be paused.
Aashna Miharia contributed reporting.
Contact Dharma Niles at [email protected].
