The Trump administration’s recent cuts to federal research funding have resulted in a loss of over $60 million in grants for the University. The reductions have affected multiple research projects, including those funded by agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and National Endowment for the Humanities. It is unclear how future allocations will be impacted.
Lori McMahon, vice president for research and neuroscience professor, spoke at an event April 22 focused on the impact of funding cuts on University research. There, McMahon said that a total of 14 federal grants to the University had been terminated and two additional grants had been given stop work orders. As of May 2, 20 additional research grants have been terminated, bringing the total to 34.
According to McMahon, as of April 22, the impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Literature in Context, a University-affiliated group that digitizes and publishes texts and poems for online public use, has also lost its federal funding, according to fourth-year College student Chasqui Mooney-Guerra, who worked as an editor for the website.
Mooney-Guerra noted that federal research grant money was supposed to last until the end of the calendar year, but said that the Trump administration canceled most of their funding. He also said that existing projects would have to be finished by the end of July, since there would not be enough money to pay several employees and operations fees.
He said that the project has been negatively impacted by these cuts despite the fact that it is not political in nature and that the people working on the project are not adding their own opinions. He discussed the importance of federal research funding and said he does not support the Trump administration actions, but also was not surprised about the cuts.
“I think federal funding, especially for universities, is kind of the heart of our country and our intellectual research. So it is really disappointing to see this happening,” Mooney-Guerra said.
McMahon also said at the event that most federal funding comes as a reimbursement to the University after it has spent research-related funds, as the government does not fund equipment purchases, student tuition or facilities and administration costs by law.
The facilities and administration on-Grounds funding rate at the University is 61.5 percent, while the effective rate — what the University actually receives — is only 38 percent. She said that the difference between these two rates is that while the federal government can fund up to 61.5 percent of research activities, only 38 percent actually receives funding because of the other expenses not covered.
McMahon also said that recent cuts to federal agencies and their workforces have slowed many key research-related processes for the University. This includes notices of award, which officially authorize the disbursement of federal funds, as well as no-cost extensions, which allow a project’s timeline to be extended beyond the original end date without providing additional federal funding.
She said that the University has submitted an appeal to the NIH to restore federal funding for autism research, which is currently pending review. She also noted that the University’s research community remains very active at this time and that there are currently over $2 billion worth of pending research proposals awaiting government action.
Despite the uncertainty and loss of funding, McMahon expressed some optimism about the current state of federal funding awarded to the University through the end of fiscal year 2025, which ends Sept. 30 for the federal government.
“We're hopeful, at least through the end of this fiscal year,” McMahon said. “Our financial burden hasn't been tremendous, although I would say that the loss is significant and we’re hoping that doesn’t continue.”
According to Ian Solomon, dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, who also spoke at the April 22 event, the U.S. Office of Management and Budget has tried to reduce research expenses by trying to cap indirect costs — costs that are related to facilities and administration funding needs but not directly related to specific research. The OMB is also setting a research funding cap across federal agencies, including the NIH, for how much money they may distribute, considering a 15 percent cap on income earned by NIH for funding distributed to universities.
Solomon also said that the bottlenecking of different research agencies by the Trump administration is also effectively a cut, since it slows the process of federal review panels. Solomon noted how all of these cuts in research spending have significantly impacted the knowledge creation business and the independence of researchers.
“There is the interference with free discovery and your academic freedom to explore the questions you think are most important. Someone else gets to decide the importance of these questions now, which is very problematic,” Solomon said.
Doctorate Education student Dillon Kuhn attended the April 22 event and expressed appreciation for the University’s supportive stance. University President Jim Ryan was recently joined by over 150 university presidents in signing a letter condemning the Trump administration’s actions against federal research funding.
“[I am] really glad that U.Va. is making a proactive stance in terms of supporting its faculty and its graduate students given where we are as a nation,” Kuhn said. “[I’m] hopeful by today's comments that we are going to bridge this difficult area.”
Solomon discussed how the costs to the teaching and research missions of Batten and the University are impacted. He mentioned that students and faculty may be less willing to take risks themselves and may not be as likely to hire research assistants or take a research-related trip, but reaffirmed his support for students themselves.
McMahon agreed with Solomon and noted that her biggest concern centered around current students and faculty that require federal funding for their career and research.
“In addition to our faculty, our Ph.D. students and our postdocs are impacted, that's our future and so that worries me tremendously,” McMahon said. “I even worry about undergraduates who have been thinking about a research career and who now may think that's too risky … three months of time has changed the minds of all of those who are to come after us.”
Solomon said that the administration has targeted several projects related to climate science, international development, gender identity and diversity, equity and inclusion. He also noted how different institutions have been impacted more severely, including Harvard University, Columbia University and Princeton University.
These universities have lost hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding. The Trump administration has claimed that these universities have not changed enough to combat increased antisemitism on their campuses, leading the administration to pull funding.
Harvard University in particular has also seen its tax exempt status come under threat by the Trump administration, which currently exempts universities from paying federal corporate income tax. However, legal action is expected to take place and it is unclear if Harvard will officially lose its status.
At the April 22 event, McMahon also emphasized the current uncertainty faced by University researchers, and the challenge this uncertainty presents in planning for future research and development.
“We don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We don't know if we will get more grant terminations,” McMahon said. “We don't know what the fiscal year [2026] federal budget looks like, so we don't know how many new grants will be impacted.”
Read More
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 3 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
What does the University’s contract with dining service Aramark entail?
By Brandon Kile | 4 days agoThe Cavalier Daily submitted a Freedom of Information Act request to the University for its contract with Aramark to understand the specific terms of the agreement.
