Grants frozen again: How federal cuts hit Indigenous research at UC Berkeley

Last month, federal officials abruptly halted at least 18 research grants at UC Berkeley—just months after a judge explicitly ordered them to stop canceling grants. Among the frozen was a $1.4-million project at the Lawrence Hall of Science, where Ohlone youth were training to build mixed-reality exhibits about Indigenous knowledge of nature. The National Science Foundation (NSF) cited "foreign funding" concerns in an email but provided no evidence of any outside money reaching the project.

Jedda Foreman, the project’s leader, insists her team has not taken a single dollar from abroad—yet now faces a court deadline to open an exhibit this weekend.

A Shifting Landscape Under Trump-Era Policies

Under the current administration, the NSF has become a moving target. Since 2020, the agency has:

• Canceled nearly 2,000 grants nationwide, disproportionately targeting diversity and inclusion initiatives.
• Delayed new awards for months, leaving researchers in limbo.
• Fired the entire 22-person science board in April.
• Proposed slashing its budget by 50% by 2027.

For UC Berkeley—a campus that secured $525 million from the NSF this year—the uncertainty has forced desperate contingency planning.

Legal Battles Intensify: Is This a Backdoor Cancellation?

After a federal judge blocked the NSF from revoking funds through form letters or anti-DEI directives, UC researchers believed the worst was over. Yet the agency froze more grants anyway.

Now, UC Berkeley is asking the court: Did this latest freeze violate the judge’s order?

Claudia Polsky, the lawyer leading the case, calls it "a backdoor cancellation"—a tactic she fears is part of a broader strategy to test legal boundaries.

California’s Last Resort: Bonds, Global Alliances, and a State-Led Safety Net

With federal support now "unreliable" (per UC President James Milliken), California is taking matters into its own hands.

1. A $23-Billion Bond Measure on the November Ballot

UC leaders are pushing a statewide bond measure that could fund:

• Wildfire research
• Pandemic preparedness
• New medicines
• Profit-sharing back to California

2. International Partnerships as a Backup Plan

Provost Katherine Newman recently met with top British universities to explore collaborations in:

• Climate change mitigation
• Clean energy innovation
• Public health advancements

The message is clear: If Washington keeps pulling the rug out, California will build its own safety net.