2025 Federal Administration Transition Information & Resources - This will be updated as new information is available.

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Update to Faculty: Federal Government Directives on Grants

This letter was sent to all faculty on January 29, 2025.

 

Dear Colleagues,

This communication follows up on yesterday’s message to the Stanford community from the President, Provost, and me.

Today, the White House rescinded Monday’s sweeping OMB memorandum. At the same time, individual funding agencies are still releasing new directives. We continue to track these developments and post updates on this website.

Agency directives are taking different forms. To give you a better sense, I wanted to describe a variety of things we have seen:

  1. “Stop work” orders: These ask for all activity and expenditure on projects to cease immediately. So far, the U.S. State Department has issued an order of this kind, pertaining to projects related to foreign aid and assistance.
  2. Partial “stop work” orders: These ask for specified components of federally-supported projects to cease – most commonly, DEIA-related activities. NASA, the Department of Energy, and CDC have issued this kind of directive.
  3. General directives regarding prohibited activities: These ask researchers not to engage in award activities that are prohibited by the executive orders. NSF has issued this type of directive, citing DEI-related activities as an example, but not providing specificity or guidance on other types of prohibited activities.

I want to reiterate the message from our letter yesterday: normal research activities on federal grants should continue at this time, including charging to existing award accounts, procurement activities, and submitting grant applications for new awards. The exceptions are:

  • If you have received a full stop-work order from a federal agency, we must comply. A research administrator in your department can provide guidance.
  • If you have received a partial stop work order (e.g., cease DEI-related activities on your grant), please notify the research administrator in your department. We are working closely with affected PIs and schools to interpret these directives and determine what needs to be done in response.

Staff from our Office of Government Affairs are busy in Washington, explaining to the agencies and Congress the uncertainties arising on the ground, seeking greater clarity, and providing feedback. We understand members of our community may wish to express their concerns. Of course, each of us, individually, is free to make statements in our personal capacity. In our capacity as employees of Stanford, it is important to follow the university’s policy regarding political activities and lobbying. If you have any questions related to that policy, please contact Megan Arleth in the Office of Government Affairs.

I know this is a confusing and unsettling moment. The situation is fluid. My goal is to provide you with the clearest guidance we possibly can, and to continue communicating with you as important information comes to hand. We remain hopeful that more detailed guidance from the agencies will be provided in the coming days.

You can always reach out to me at vpdordean@stanford.edu. I will try to respond promptly.

Best,

David Studdert
Vice Provost and Dean of Research