Hello from the FedInvent Team,
As many of you know, the Trump Administration has canceled research grants issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Most of the news on these cancellations focused on the scope of the research, including grants focused on DEI-related topics, studies related to the LGBT community, training grants, and grants given to foreign research entities. The report on the cancellations issued a week ago cites 335 separate grants that were canceled.
We dug through the report to see which institutes canceled the grants and which grant recipients were impacted. Our analysis follows.
NIH’s Research Enterprise
Before we present our analysis of the 335 grants, it would be helpful to provide some context on NIH and the scale of its grant enterprise. According to the NIH website Budget Page, which NIH last reviewed in October 2024, the NIH invests most of its nearly $48 billion budget in medical research for the American people. Nearly 83 percent of NIH’s funding is awarded for extramural research, largely through almost 50,000 competitive grants to more than 300,000 researchers at more than 2,500 universities, medical schools, and other research institutions in every state.
In addition, approximately 11 percent of the NIH's budget supports projects conducted by nearly 6,000 scientists in its own laboratories, most of which are on the NIH campus in Bethesda, Maryland. The remaining 6 percent covers research support, administrative and facility construction, maintenance, or operational costs.
Cancellations By Institute
FedInvent wanted to see which NIH institutes were impacted by the cancellations. Here is a look how the cancellations breakdown by NIH institute.
The Recipients Who Lost Grants
We also wanted to see how the cancellation of the 335 grants impacted individual research entities. The report shows 103 grant recipients that lost grants. Unsurprisingly, Columbia University took the biggest hit, with 161 grants canceled. Johns Hopkins University, the largest recipient of NIH grants, had 12 grants canceled.
Sixty-five (65) research entities had one grant canceled, nineteen entities had two grants canceled, and eleven entities had three grants canceled. One university had four grants canceled, three universities had five canceled and one had six canceled.
Excluding Columbia University, which is dealing with federal funding issues beyond its NIH grant portfolio, the 102 entities that had a grant canceled had an average loss of 1.7 grants.
The Entities With Canceled Grants
The following list shows the grant recipient, the number of grants canceled, and the institutes where the grants originated. Unfortunately, Substack doesn’t support tables so we created a list.
ENTITY | COUNT | INSTITUTE
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION: 1 — HHS ACF
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NICHD
BENTLEY UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIAID
BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER: 1 — NCI
BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: 3 — NICHD, NIGMS. NIMH
BOSTON COLLEGE: 2 — NIMH, NINR
BOSTON MEDICAL CENTER: 1 — NIAID
BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL: 1 — NIGMS
BROWN UNIVERSITY: 2 — NIMH
BUTLER HOSPITAL (PROVIDENCE, RI) — 1 — NICHD
CENTER FOR INNOVATIVE PUBLIC HEALTH RESEARCH: 1 — NINR
CENTRE FOR ADDICTION AND MENTAL HEALTH: 1 — NIBIB
CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA: 1 — NIGMS
CHILDREN'S RESEARCH INSTITUTE: 1 — NICHD
CHINA MEDICAL UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIAID
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK: 1 — NIMH
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: 161 — SEE BELOW
DENVER HEALTH AND HOSPITAL AUTHORITY: 1 — NICHD
DREXEL UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIMHD
DUKE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIMH
DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIGMS
EMORY UNIVERSITY: 6 — NCI (1), NIA (1), NICHD (1), NIMH (2), NINR (1)
ENDEAVOR HEALTH CLINICAL OPERATIONS: 1 — NICHD
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIDA
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIMH
FRIENDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC.: 1 — NIDA
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: 3 — NIDA, NIMH, NINR
GEORGIA STATE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIAAA
HANOI MEDICAL UNIVERSITY: 1 — FIC
HARVARD PILGRIM HEALTH CARE, INC.: 2 — NIAID, NICHD
HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: 1 — NIMHD
HARVARD UNIVERSITY: 1 —NIMH
HEALTHPARTNERS INSTITUTE: 2 — NICHD, NIDCR
HELPING US, PEOPLE INTO LIVING, INC: 1 — NIMH
HUNTER COLLEGE: 2 — NIGMS, NIMH
ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI: 1 — NIMHD
JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY: 12 — NIAID (5), NIDDK (1), NIGMS (1), NIMH (2), NIMHD (3)
MAINEHEALTH: 1 — NIGMS
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN: 1 — NIMH
NEW SCHOOL UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIDA
NEW YORK BLOOD CENTER: 1 — NIAID
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY AT CHICAGO: 3 — NIAID, NIDA, NIMH
OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY: 2 — NIDA, NINR
PACIFIC INSTITUTE FOR RES AND EVALUATION: 1 — NIAAA
PEKING UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIA
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY: 2 — NICHD, NIMH
PUBLIC HEALTH FOUNDATION ENTERPRISES: 2 — NIMH
RAND CORPORATION: 2 — NIMH, NIMHD
RESEARCH INST NATIONWIDE CHILDREN'S HOSP: 1 — NIMH
RESEARCH TRIANGLE INSTITUTE: 1 — NICHD
RUTGERS THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW JERSEY: 1 — NIA
SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIMH
SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: 2 — NICHD
SILVERBILLS INC.: 2 — NIA
SOUTHCENTRAL FOUNDATION: 1 — NIAID
STANFORD UNIVERSITY: 3 — NHGRI, NIHOD, NIMH
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT BUFFALO: 1 — NIMHD
TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY: 1 — NIAAA
TULANE UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA: 1 — NIAID
UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL: 1 — NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM: 3 — NIDDK, NINR (2)
UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1 — NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES: 1 — NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA: 1 — NIAAA
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE: 1 — NIAID
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN DIEGO: 2 — NICHD, NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO: 5 — NEI, NIAID (3), NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA: 1 — NIMHD
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO: 3 — NIAID, NIDA (2)
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER: 1 — NINDS
UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT STORRS: 1 — NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA: 1 — NIGMS
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: 1 — NIMHD
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA CHAMPAIGN: 1 — NIMHD
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND BALTIMORE: 1 — NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS: 1 — NIAAA
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI CORAL GABLES: 3 — NIMH (2), NINR
UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: 4 — NIAID, NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR: 5 — NCI, NICHD (2), NIMH (2)
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA: 5 — NCI (2), NICHD (2), NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI MED CTR: 1 — NHLBI
UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA: 1 — NIAID
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA LINCOLN: 3 — NIAAA, NIMHD (2)
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA LAS VEGAS: 1 — NIA
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA CHARLOTTE: 1 — NIAAA
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA: 3 — NCI, NIDA, NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH: 2 — NICHD, NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND: 1 — NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER: 2 — NCI, NIGMS
UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO: 2 — NIAID, NICHD
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA AT COLUMBIA: 2 — NCI, NIDA
UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE CHATTANOOGA: 1 — NIGMS
UNIVERSITY OF UTAH: 1 — NCATS
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA: 1 — NIMH
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON: 2 — NIAID, NLM
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON: 1 — NIMHD
URBAN HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS: 2 — NIHOD
VAN ANDEL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: 1 — NIAID
VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY: 3 — NIA
VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY: 1— NIMH
VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC INST AND ST UNIV: 1 — NIAAA
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY: 2 — NHGRI, NIMHD
YALE UNIVERSITY: 3 — NICHD, NIMH, NIMHD
Columbia University’s Canceled Grants By Institute
Here is the breakdown of the 161 Columbia University grant cancellations.
Unusual Grant Recipients Who Lost Grants
There are funding recipients that had grants canceled, including some unusual entities. Four foreign universities — China Medical University, Hanoi Medical University, Peking University, and University of British Columbia — had grants canceled. The Peking University lost its China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (R01AG037031). Nineteen grants involved research conducted outside the United States in locations such as Indonesia, Guyana, South Africa, Vietnam and other countries. Of these grants, Columbia was the recipient of 16 of the 19 grants.
The American Bar Association received the only HHS-funded grant that was canceled, a DEI-focused grant from the Administration on Children, Youth, and Families (ACF). The grant, MICHIGAN STOP OVERREPORTING OUR PEOPLE (MI STOP), is a program focused on the overuse of Newborn Drug testing among minority mothers, often resulting in the wrongful separation of mothers and their babies. Researchers are also concerned about the impact of legalized cannabis use and drug testing.
The Rand Corporation had two of its canceled grants. R01MH121256, Promoting Reductions in Intersectional Stigma to Improve HIV Testing and PrEP Use Among Latino Sexual Minority Men; and R01MD019278, Examining the Mechanisms and Consequences of Sleep Health Inequities Affecting Black Sexual Minority Men. NIH RePORTER shows Rand has 3,229 NIH, HHS, and DVA projects and no patents.
Finally, we make no judgments on the quality of the canceled grants or their impact.
Time will tell if cutting research on mental health and the disparities between the health outcomes of different groups of citizens will impact American’s well-being. Remember Bernadette Healy, the first female director of NIH, and her efforts to make sure that medical researchers moved away from the "shrink it and pink it" approach to drugs for women to recruit women for clinical trials for new drugs. DEI aside, minority taxpayers are entitled to the same quality R&D to improve their health outcomes as every other American. Jayanta Bhattacharya, the taxpayers will be watching.
Thanks for reading the FedInvent Newsletter.
We’re working on an analysis of patents funded by National Science Foundation (NSF) and the longevity of the grants it funds. Longevity refers to how old the grants were at the time the patent was granted. NSF-funded researchers