Johns Hopkins University cuts 110 workers after losing some federal funding

Johns Hopkins University laid off 110 workers as the Baltimore institution continues to deal with federal funding losses, officials said Thursday. 

The layoffs come nearly a year after the university eliminated more than 2,200 workers. In June 2025, the university also announced a hiring freeze and paused annual pay increases, citing uncertainty in funding sources. 

On Thursday, university officials said the latest round of layoffs was a last resort, which mostly impacted administrative workers. 

"As our federal research portfolio shrinks, the infrastructure around it must change in parallel," university leaders said in a statement. "Last year, we implemented significant cost-management initiatives, including a hiring freeze, pausing annual increases for anyone making over $80,000, reducing discretionary spending, eliminating vacant positions, and reducing our five-year capital project spending by 20%."

Cuts to foreign aid funding 

The university's March 2025 layoffs, which impacted workers in 44 countries, came after a loss of more than $800 million in funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). 

The loss in funding was part of the Trump administration's cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for research institutions. The university is one of the top recipients of NIH funding to help with groundbreaking research.

In June 2025, university officials said 90 grants had ended, leading to a loss of $50 million in federal research funding. 

Amid the hiring freeze and pause in pay increases, the university said it was taking action to develop strategies to improve its financial challenges.