GoKawiilUS researchers adapt to billions in federal science funding cuts under Trump administration
Federal agencies are screening roughly 200 terms—including equity, climate change and gender—to review grants for alignment with the Trump administration's research priorities. The administration cut about $3 billion in grants in 2025, with roughly $1.4 billion from the NIH and NSF still frozen or cancelled, while USAID's closure eliminated about $25 billion in international research and aid funding. Scientists have responded by seeking private donations, crowdfunding, shifting research focus, or pursuing interdisciplinary collaborations to keep projects alive.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The scale of frozen and cancelled funding suggests a broad reshaping of which scientific topics receive federal support, potentially sidelining work on climate, public health surveillance and social equity for years. Researchers' reliance on crowdfunding and private donors could shift scientific priorities toward topics with public appeal rather than peer-reviewed merit, and may widen gaps between well-resourced labs and those without alternative funding networks. The closure of USAID-funded programs could also set back global health and conservation monitoring efforts that depend on long-term, continuous data collection.
- About $1.4 billion in NIH and NSF funding remains frozen or cancelled after an initial $3 billion in 2025 grant terminations.
- USAID's shutdown eliminated roughly $25 billion in international research and development funding, affecting global health and conservation science.
- Some scientists are turning to crowdfunding, private donors, and interdisciplinary pivots to sustain research amid the funding freeze.
Source: nature.com — Gewin, 2026-10-19
Published there as: “‘Fiercely stubborn’: the US scientists continuing their research amid funding cuts”
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