Federal Grant News 2025

Preparing for Possible Government Shutdown Effective October 1, 2025

September 30, 2025

Dear Colleagues, 

With the possibility of a federal government shutdown beginning October 1, 2025, we want to share updated guidance based on information from federal agencies, past shutdown experiences, and recent considerations compiled by the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR). Please note this is not official federal guidance but reflects shared best practices to help manage federally sponsored projects during a shutdown. 

The Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) will post agency announcements and updates as they become available. We encourage principal investigators and administrators to stay informed through both agency sources and our communications. 

What to Expect in the Event of a Shutdown 

(Subject to change based on official agency announcements) 

 COGR webpage with agency plans, etc.

Proposals & Application Systems 

• We anticipate that proposal preparation and submission systems (e.g., Grants.gov, NIH eRA Commons, NSF Research.gov) will remain available during the shutdown, allowing researchers to continue submitting proposals and reports.
• Researchers should plan to meet all announced submission deadlines unless they receive official notification otherwise.
• While agencies are unlikely to process or review proposals until normal operations resume, and peer review panels/study sections are expected to be delayed, timely submission remains important.
• Agencies may announce deadline extensions, but these are typically only communicated after shutdown ends; therefore, do not count on changes.
• The Grants.gov Contact Center may remain partially available, although some agency help desks could have limited or no availability.
   
  Award and Financial Management 
• The Office of Sponsored Projects is actively monitoring and managing payment draws and reimbursements to help minimize disruption.
• Spending on federally sponsored projects and subawards may continue during the shutdown in accordance with award terms and sponsor policies
• Faculty and staff working on federal awards may continue allowable activities, but please note the following exceptions: 
  Faculty working in federal labs/facilities, on cooperative agreements, contracts, or Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) assignments may receive notices to pause work or take other steps. Please share any such communication with OSP immediately.
• Federal contracts may be subject to “Stop Work” orders suspending activity and payments. Review contract terms on limitation of funds or costs carefully.
• Federal agency personnel will generally be unavailable for correspondence, site visits, or meetings during the shutdown. Emergency contacts will be extremely limited.
• Pay close attention to awards nearing their closeout deadlines—submit final reports if sponsor portals remain accessible. Submit No Cost Extension (NCE) requests before the shutdown if possible, as approval will be delayed otherwise. 
   
  Additional Considerations 
• NSF postdoctoral fellows paid directly by NSF and others whose funding or stipend payments may be interrupted are encouraged to reach out to OSP for assistance and guidance.
• Expect that no new awards, incremental funding, or modifications will be issued during the shutdown.  OSP processes for advance accounts and continued spending in anticipation of non-competing continuations will continue to be available.
   
  Office of Sponsored Projects Contact Information:
  Jill Mortali, Director
  Email: jill.m.mortali@dartmouth.edu or sponsored.projects@dartmouth.edu 

 
We will continue to provide updates as new information becomes available. Thank you for your cooperation as we navigate this uncertain situation together. 

Jill Mortali

Director, Office of Sponsored Projects

June 10, 2025

Dear colleagues,

Dartmouth joined several peer institutions yesterday in filing an amicus brief in support of Harvard’s lawsuit against multiple federal agencies and arguing for continued investment and university partnerships in scientific research. 

As outlined in the brief, Dartmouth leverages funding received through highly competitive federal awards, in synergy with large investments of our own, to drive scientific discoveries, improve lives, and build economies. The brief describes numerous breakthroughs that resulted from sustained federal funding of fundamental scientific research and notes that there is little incentive for private investment in such studies. Indeed, even temporary cuts to these critical areas of inquiry can have permanent effects—potentially squandering years of work and funding.

This is the latest in a series of legal actions that Dartmouth has taken to protect both our mission and the academic foundations of U.S. prosperity and competitiveness. We previously filed declarations supporting four lawsuits filed by the Association of American Universities, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other professional associations seeking relief from sudden grant terminations and cuts to indirect cost rates by the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Energy. 

You can read more about how Dartmouth is working to tell the story of our impact and to stand up for the important values of higher education, and how you can contribute to this effort, on the Speak Up for Dartmouth webpage.

Best wishes,

Dean Madden

Vice Provost for Research

Jill Mortali

Director of Sponsored Projects

May 9, 2025

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to update you on Dartmouth’s continuing efforts to counteract attacks on federal research funding, which are unfolding on multiple fronts. Sustained action is required, and Dartmouth remains committed to advocacy and legal action on behalf of our scholars and their research.

NSF indirect costs: In the most recent proposal to cut indirect costs for research, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced its own 15% cap last Friday. This proposal would not affect current awards to Dartmouth but would apply to all new NSF grants awarded on or after May 5, 2025. Nonetheless, the impact would be significant, and Dartmouth has again contributed a declaration in support of the lawsuit filed Monday to block implementation, following the strategy that has been successful in blocking earlier caps. In the meantime, please continue to use Dartmouth’s negotiated indirect cost rates on NSF applications.

NEH terminations: In April, numerous National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) awards were summarily cancelled, including several to Dartmouth researchers. We have appealed these cancellations directly to the NEH. Additionally, we are pleased to share that the National Humanities Alliance has also challenged in court the NEH cancellations affecting institutions and organizations across the country and has our support in pursuit of a preliminary injunction.

Appeals and bridge funding: In parallel, the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP) and the Office of the General Counsel will continue to support faculty affected by cancellations from other federal agencies and help to determine where an appeal is appropriate. We also are beginning to provide bridge funding to projects affected by these disruptions. Affected faculty should work with their deans to request assistance, if needed.

NIH notices: Finally, we are aware of several recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) notices. OSP is ready to work with researchers to navigate all of these notices to avoid or minimize disruption and will reach out to PIs if any actions are required. The notices include: 

• A new NIH policy prohibiting programs that “advance or promote DEI, DEIA, or discriminatory equity ideology in violation of Federal anti-discrimination laws.” To be clear, Dartmouth already requires that our programs comply with established federal anti-discrimination laws.
• Changes announced this Wednesday in NIH no-cost extension procedures
• Another recent notice pertaining to foreign subcontracts

Thank you for continuing to route all termination notices and other issues to OSP (sponsored.projects@dartmouth.edu) rather than responding directly to the funders. We continue to follow all of these actions and others very closely.

Sincerely,

Dean Madden

Vice Provost for Research

Jill Mortali

Director of Sponsored Projects
 

April 17, 2025

Dear faculty and staff colleagues,

The Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced a 15% cap on indirect costs for research. However, on Wednesday, a federal court judge issued a temporary restraining orderhalting implementation of that cap. 

The restraining order was issued in response to a lawsuit brought by the Association of American Universities (AAU) and others. Dartmouth senior leaders and our Office of General Counsel moved quickly following the DOE announcement to contribute language to that lawsuit, ensuring the court would be made aware of the harm that such an action would have caused.

No immediate impact to Dartmouth is expected due to the issuance of the temporary restraining order. In the meantime, faculty members who may have received a notice of conditional termination from DOE should not respond and should instead forward the notice to the Office of Sponsored Projects.

The DOE action is distinct from—although broadly consistent with—the 15% indirect costs cap that the National Institutes of Health sought to impose in February. Implementation of that funding cut also remains blocked by the court. The federal government intends to appeal.

We continue to follow both of these lawsuits closely as they move through the courts and will share updates if the impacts to the Dartmouth community change.

Best,

Dean Madden

Vice Provost for Research

Jill Mortali

Director of Sponsored Projects

Impact of New NIH Indirect Costs Policy. 

Please also see the resource page to learn more about indirect costs.

March 25, 2025

Message to Investigator and Roundtable Lists

Dear colleagues,

I want to ensure that you reviewed the message below from Dave Kotz and Scott Frew and noted the possibility of short-term, emergency “bridge” funding for most ongoing federal grants that may be terminated or paused or otherwise interrupted by an administrative delay in anticipated funding, e.g., through a non-competing or highly scored competing renewal. As of today, Dartmouth has not received any cancellations or stop work orders for direct federal awards, but we are preparing, nonetheless.  

This short-term bridge funding will supplement existing faculty, departmental, and school resources to ensure the safety of participants in ongoing studies and/or to provide an opportunity for already funded or highly ranked programs:

To preserve and complete data already collected;
To bridge a delay in receipt of anticipated funding;
To pivot to alternative funding sources;
Or to enable the orderly conclusion of ongoing work.

Faculty who receive stop-work, termination, or other funding notices should not reply, and should instead immediately contact the Office of Sponsored Projects (OSP)—or me directly—through an email to sponsored.projects@dartmouth.edu. Please note that federal agencies and subcontracting entities generally send such communications to OSP under the award terms. OSP will support researchers as we work collaboratively to assess the implications of the specific notice and to develop and communicate responses on behalf of Dartmouth. 

If needed, short-term bridge funding requests can then be prepared by faculty members in consultation with chairs (Geisel), associate deans (A&S) and the dean’s office (all schools), and with support from departmental grant managers. Your dean will submit those requests to Vice Provost for Research Dean Madden, who will review them in consultation with OSP and the applicable deans, chairs, and PIs as necessary. The provost will make the final decision.

I hope this demonstration of Dartmouth’s ongoing commitment to research will provide you and your teams some reassurance.

Best,

Jill Mortali
Director of Sponsored Projects

March 5, 2025

Dear colleagues,

A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction yesterday that further formalizes and extends a pause on recent National Institutes of Health guidance that would cap indirect cost payments on current and new NIH grants at 15%.

The injunction replaces a temporary restraining order that was issued and then extended last month, and it will remain in place as multiple lawsuits make their way through the courts, including one brought by the Association of American Medical Colleges and another by the Association of American Universities—both organizations of which Dartmouth is a member. The conditions for issuing a preliminary injunction include an assessment that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed on the merits of their case, and that there is a high likelihood of irreparable harm if the proposed changes are allowed to proceed. The court agreed with the associations’ position, basing its assessment in large part on the statements filed in these cases by universities and including several references to the declaration filed by Provost Dave Kotz.

Additionally, the NIH appears to have resumed scheduling and posting of study section meetings. We encourage those affected by canceled meetings to check NIH sources and reach out to their Senior Research Officer or to the Office of Sponsored Projects (sponsored.projects@dartmouth.edu) for assistance in obtaining information.

We also encourage you to continue submitting information on the impact of the federal transition via this OSP survey. We understand from the 60+ responses received thus far that there have been disruptions on multiple levels including canceled review meetings, delayed award notices, and other issues. That feedback helps to inform our advocacy on behalf of Dartmouth and its mission through ongoing meetings with congressional representatives and staff, professional organizations, and members of the news media to ensure the impact is visible. 

As previously communicated, faculty, staff, students, and postdocs should continue their normal activities unless otherwise notified by OSP. Past updates and information about executive orders and government directives related to research funding are posted on our website. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you receive direct communication from any federal agency regarding a specific grant or contract. We continue to be a resource on as many of these issues as possible.

Sincerely,
Dean Madden
Vice Provost for Research

Jill Mortali
Director of Sponsored Projects

You can find earlier announcements at this link.