Education
Northwestern Plans to Fund ‘Vital’ Research Amid Federal Funding Freeze
(Courtesy of Northwestern University)
Northwestern officials say they intend to fund “vital” at-risk research themselves, days after the Trump administration announced plans to freeze nearly $800 million in federal funding for the university.
Northwestern President Michael Schill and Board of Trustees Chair Peter Barris wrote in an open letter Thursday they still haven’t received official word from Washington, D.C., on that funding freeze, but they have gotten stop-work orders on approximately 100 federal grants, which they said is “money that fuels important scientific breakthroughs.”
“We are grateful to the dedicated faculty, staff and students who work tirelessly in our labs and classrooms,” they wrote in the letter. “To support them in this period of uncertainty, the University, after consultation with the Board of Trustees, will fund research that is subject to stop-work orders or the federal funding freeze.”
The letter did not state how much Northwestern plans to spend or what those funds will specifically be used to cover, but adds that the “support is intended to keep these projects going until we have a better understanding of the funding landscape.”
The letter also notes that this university funding will not extend to projects that were “previously terminated by the federal government.”
The funding freeze is part of a broader push of using taxpayer dollars to pressure major academic institutions to comply with President Donald Trump’s political agenda and to influence campus policy. The White House last week confirmed the hold on the public money but offered no further details on what that meant or which grants were affected.
The Republican administration previously cut off money to Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and others, creating uncertainty for universities at a time of reduced grants for research institutions.
Schill and Barris said the research at risk is “foundational to Northwestern’s mission of bringing together the sharpest minds from around the globe to make the world healthier, safer and a better place for future generations.”
“The work we do is essential to our community, to the nation and to the world,” they wrote. “Enabling this vital research to continue is among our most important priorities, and supporting our researchers in this moment is a responsibility we take seriously.”
A university spokesperson previously said the federal funding allocated to Northwestern helps drive “innovative and life-saving research,” including the development of the world’s smallest pacemaker and research fueling the fight against Alzheimer’s disease.
The announcement by Northwestern also comes a week after advocates including current and former students penned letters to Barris expressing their support for Northwestern academic freedom and First Amendment rights amid federal investigations into the university.
“We continue to be heartened by the resilience of our community,” Schill and Barris wrote, “and how, despite myriad challenges, so many of you have been able to remain focused on what we do best — improving the lives of those around us.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
