National Science Foundation eliminates equity division, cancels dozens more grants
WASHINGTON – The National Science Foundation canceled 73 additional grants on May 9 as the Department of Government Efficiency continues winnowing the agency's projects, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the changes.
The agency also announced in a staff memo obtained by Paste BN that it is eliminating its Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM team. The memo says the agency is laying off around 70 employees. The agency plans to eliminate around 300 additional temporary positions. And employees who have worked remotely for years will need to begin working out of NSF's headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, by June 16.
The Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM promoted "diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM by removing barriers and supporting the full participation of underrepresented groups in science and engineering fields," according to a webpage removed from the NSF website May 9.
The day before, leadership announced it would dramatically restructure the agency that has funded nonmedical scientific research for nearly 75 years, as the Trump administration seeks to cut more than half of its budget in the coming fiscal year.
"The NSF’s mission is to promote the progress of science, advance the national health, prosperity and welfare, and secure the national defense," a spokesperson for the NSF said in a statement. "It is our priority to ensure all NSF awards aim to create opportunities for all Americans everywhere, without exclusion of any groups. NSF remains committed to reviewing and funding proposals that are aligned with the agency priorities."
The grant cancellations mark the third wave of terminations to upend the agency in recent weeks. In total, the NSF has stopped more than 1,400 projects worth more than $1 billion, according to a public list of canceled grants maintained by researchers at science nonprofit rOpenSci and Harvard University.
On April 30, staff were instructed to stop awarding new grants. Paste BN previously reported that the agency also announced a pause in "supplemental awards," which provide additional funding to projects in the case of unforeseen expenses, and that agency leadership warned they "may be expected to make significant workforce reductions."
Many of the terminated grants have been touted by the Department of Government Efficiency as "wasteful DEI" funding and several align with a 2024 report published by Texas Sen. Ted Cruz identifying projects he argued had been "politicized."
But several of the grants aren't overtly related to the administration's anti-DEI initiatives. Several projects focus on improving the performance of artificial intelligence, a stated priority for President Donald Trump's second term, or the impacts of environmental factors like climate change.
DOGE staffers showed up at the NSF headquarters in late April. A few days later, the agency announced it would adjust its priorities to eliminate awards "with more narrow impact limited to subgroups of people based on protected class or characteristics," including those related to "diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and misinformation/disinformation."
In addition to the grant changes, the agency's director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, abruptly resigned from his position late last month. Panchanathan was appointed to the lead the agency during Trump's first term.
A group of 13 universities is suing the administration over the sudden funding changes, which include a May 2 decision to limit reimbursements to research partners for indirect costs. The group includes the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Chicago, Brown University and University of Pennsylvania.
The dramatic changes to the agency – which funds basic scientific research that can become the foundation for widely used technology like artificial intelligence, 3D printing, LASIK eye surgery, MRIs, and semiconductors – come amid the Trump administration's ongoing slashing of the federal government.
The DOGE project led by Trump advisor Elon Musk has all but eliminated multiple government agencies, laid off hundreds of thousands of federal workers, and eliminated federal grants and contracts.
Musk estimates the project has saved $165 billion, though he had previously projected cutting $2 trillion.
(This article has been updated to add new information.)