On April 3, 2025, it was reported that the US administration intended to freeze $510 million in federal grants and contracts for Brown University on the grounds that the university had allegedly failed to respond adequately to the administration’s unsubstantiated allegations of antisemitism on campus and the university’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
As of May 29, 2025, there was no public record of a formal letter from the administration about the funding freeze, its rationale, or steps that Brown could take to have it reversed. However, a White House official confirmed the intended freeze to the Brown Daily Herald on April 3. On April 17, according to a screenshot posted on X by a Nature journalist, an NIH administrator sent an internal email stating that the US Department of Health & Human Services had stated that it should “hold off on making awards to schools where the funds have been frozen, ie., Columbia, Brown, Northwestern, Cornell, Weill-Cornell, Harvard.” According to an email that Brown’s Division of Research sent to researchers on April 23, the university had been unable to reimburse researchers for expenses incurred under NIH grants since the funding freeze was announced on April 3.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about formal state pressure on institutional autonomy and academic freedom, including withholding or cancellation of research grants and contracts outside of normal procedures, and without transparent investigations or any due process or opportunity to rebut any allegations or evidence presented. In context with similar actions against other institutions on similarly unsubstantiated allegations that are not related to specific grants or contracts, the funding freeze strongly suggests an attempt to force compliance with extralegal demands or risk serious harm to the academic and financial standing of the institution.
While legislative and executive officials have an oversight role over institutions receiving public funds or benefits, they have a responsibility to refrain from abusing the oversight role in ways that erode autonomy and academic freedom, including by threatening, imposing extra-legal sanctions, or otherwise dictating academic or operational decision-making. Formal government state threats and pressures undermine university autonomy, academic freedom, and the university’s ability to contribute to democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/03/us/trump-administration-brown-university-funding-pause.html
https://projects.browndailyherald.com/2025/04/25/research/
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/04/nih-funding-brown-university
https://www.browndailyherald.com/article/2025/04/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-white-houses-plan-to-freeze-510-million-at-brown
https://x.com/maxdkozlov/status/1913327818873700556