The National Science Foundation has terminated more than 1,000 research grants across the United States, according to reports and tracking databases. The agency, widely known as the NSF, cited a lack of alignment with current administration priorities as the reason for the cancellations.
The grant terminations appear to stem from efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency, an administration body tasked with reviewing federal spending and aligning agency goals.
Projects focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), along with certain areas of misinformation and climate research, were among those terminated.
At the University of Colorado Boulder, 23 research projects lost funding. One project involved AI literacy and reportedly lost its grant because the term "misinformation" appeared in the abstract, according to Associate Professor Casey Fiesler. Her project was valued at approximately $260,000. Another CU Boulder researcher, Eric Wustrow, lost funding for work on circumventing internet censorship.
University of Texas at San Antonio officials confirmed the termination of nine grants totaling over $8.2 million. Professor Crystal Kalinec-Craig lost funding for research aimed at improving math education for students from historically marginalized backgrounds.
NSF officials stated that each award was reviewed individually and terminated because they did not align with current agency goals or policy frameworks. The agency stated its priority is to ensure all awards create opportunities for all Americans without excluding groups, but also noted it would not support research aimed at combating misinformation that could infringe on free speech.
A database compiled by external researchers lists over 1,000 terminated grants. Some projects identified focused on topics such as "racial equity," "intersectionality," "latinx," and environmental justice.
Reports indicate that the cancellations follow pressure on the agency to cut spending. The director of magazine Science, Sethuraman Panchanathan, recently announced his resignation.
A study released earlier this year by Senator Ted Cruz highlighted some grants the study characterized as promoting DEI or other ideological agendas, with the report classifying grants totaling over $2 billion under such categories.
Support for the terminations came from groups who view the canceled projects as a misuse of taxpayer money. "This is exactly the kind of swamp-draining President Trump promised, and America needs,” said Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute.
