Johns Hopkins University to use endowment earnings to offset federal funding cuts
Johns Hopkins University will use earnings from its $13.2 billion endowment to help compensate for major cuts to research funding by the federal government, according to The Baltimore Banner.
The cuts are attributed to actions by the Trump administration, specifically through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has implemented reductions in federal funding to research institutions, including NIH grant terminations and limits on indirect research costs.
Last month, JHU said it was laying off 2,200 workers, because of a loss of funding from USAID.
How can JHU's Endowment fund be used?
To compensate for the funding cuts, JHU will be using earnings from the endowment.
According to the Banner, JHU officials say that the university's endowment fund is required to be used for specific purposes, which are prioritized by donors.
"The university is not changing the nature of its endowment payout or tapping into principal. Rather, we are repurposing current year operating reserves — money that was initially budgeted for other priorities — and these funds include earnings from unrestricted portions of the endowment," the university said.
Hopkins announces new research grants and programs
JHU announced two new research grants on Monday. The grants are intended to "support faculty with work challenged by federal grant delays, terminations, and other interruptions."
"We are deeply committed to sustaining the people and projects that power discovery at Johns Hopkins. While we cannot make up the full measure of recent or potential federal research cuts, we are striving to provide several new supports to faculty, students, and staff directly affected to temper some of the most immediate impacts on our research enterprise," JHU officials said in a statement to faculty Monday.
Faculty facing unexpected federal research funding cancellations can apply for JHU Pivot grants offering up to $150,000 for a maximum of 12 months.
The awards support researchers with terminated federal grants or subcontracts by providing flexible funding to redirect their research focus.
JHU Bridge Grants provide temporary funding to sustain research programs affected by significant federal funding delays in review and renewal cycles.
The University also announced a new PhD Student Thesis and Postdoc Research Completion Program, and the expansion of the Summer Provost's Undergraduate Research Awards (PURA)program.
Information on the new research funding is available on JHU's Research Support Program webpage.
