Northwestern University will fund research regardless of Trump federal funding freeze
Northwestern University has vowed to continue funding the research programs endangered by President Trump's federal funding freeze threats.
In a letter to the university community, Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Barris and President Michael Schill said while Northwestern hasn't yet received official notice that federal funding has been pulled but have received stop-work orders on about 100 federal grants for scientific research.
In response, the university will step in to fund the research subject to those stop-work orders as well as research threatened by the federal funding freeze. Barris and Schill said the move intends to keep the projects going until they "have a better understanding of the funding landscape." It does not include projects that were previously ended by the government.
Reports emerged on April 9 that the Trump administration had frozen $790 million in federal funding to Northwestern for what they are calling alleged civil rights violations, affecting grants in the realms of defense, agriculture and health and human services.
In their letter, Schill and Barris urged researchers to use their funding conservatively so they can extend the time the university can support their projects, but stood firm in their support of their work.
"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."
Faculty and students also joined colleges across the country Thursday to rally against Trump's attacks on higher education.
