Updates on Federal Funding
St. Edward’s University has been monitoring recent federal policy changes potentially impacting federal funding that supports students, faculty, and staff across higher education. Below is an update on the current status.
On January 27, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) at the White House issued a memo calling for a pause on grants, loans and federal financial assistance implicated in the President’s Executive Orders by January 28 at 5 p.m. The White House confirmed that federal student aid programs were not impacted by this funding pause. This freeze on federal funding was rescinded on January 29. While the freeze on federal funding has been rescinded, broader efforts to review programs that may be impacted by the executive orders remain in effect.
On February 7, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the largest federal funder of research, announced a change in its funding policy which reduces its indirect recovery rate to 15%, a significant reduction from the negotiated rates that universities have historically received.
This same day, news broke that the National Science Foundation (NSF), the second largest federal funder of research and training grants is also preparing for potentially steep budget cuts. The impact of these cuts on NSF funded programs is not known at this time.
We recognize that this is a rapidly changing landscape that raises many questions for members of our campus community. While much is still unknown about the future of different types of federal funding, we want to assure you that the university is closely watching all developments and actively assessing the impact to St. Edward’s University, our faculty and our staff. We will continue to provide updates as we have additional information. We remain committed to our work in alignment with our mission and to supporting all members of the St. Edward’s community.
