Federal Administration Transition and Resources

General Guidance

• Continue to submit proposals following your Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).
• Understand that agency proposal reviews may take more time during the transition.
• Monitor funding announcements for updates frequently. Proposal deadlines may change, and funding announcements may be revised or postponed. Share any changes to deadlines or programs with SPA.
• Sign up for alerts from your federal funding agencies and professional organizations for the most current information.
• Review all NOFOs closely. Not all changes may be highlighted.
• Unless directed otherwise by SPA, plan to include NIU’s federally negotiated rate in your budget.

Background:

When an award is signed, the federal agency authorizes a portion or all the total approved budget as obligated funds.  NIU, as the recipient, can incur expenses up to the authorized amount and these expenses will be reimbursed when they are incurred within the scope of the award and comply with award terms and conditions. Expenses incurred beyond what the agency has authorized or outside of the terms and scope of the award will not be reimbursed.

During the transition there may be shifts in terms and conditions for existing awards.

General Guidance:

• Changes to research compliance requirements (IRB, Export Controls, Conflict of Interest) are anticipated. Changes may be implemented by the federal agency or require an amendment on a project-by-project basis.
• Changes to award reporting requirements may occur, either broadly by the federal agency or via an amendment to your specific award.
• Forward any agency communication you receive regarding your award to SPA (asosp@niu.edu) right away and wait for guidance from SPA on next steps.

It is important to quickly ensure compliance, as it could jeopardize funding. SPA or ORCIS will notify PIs of changing requirements and will help you navigate them.

Steps To Take:

• Review your current agency award agreement. Make sure you understand the terms, especially those related to funding availability and reimbursement. SPA and RIPS Leadership are available for award specific consultation and will be contacting PIs with programs at highest risk of funding changes or stop work orders.
• Closely monitor obligated (e.g., personnel commitments, subaward payments) budget balances to avoid deficits while awaiting future increments. Anticipated future funding remains subject to availability of funds and should not be considered guaranteed. SPA Grants and Contracts Associates are available for consultation, please reach out.
• Maintain communication as appropriate with your program officer and forward any award information they provide to you to SPA. Understand that response times from agencies may take longer than usual.
• Submit any technical reports or deliverables that may be past due. Failure to meet these deadlines increases the risk that funds will not be recovered.
• Watch for announcements from your funding agency(ies) for any updates on funding or compliance requirements.
• Do not accelerate spending to get ahead of any potential award changes or Executive Orders.
• Remember that award terms and conditions also apply to cost share.  Changes in sponsor terms or additional compliance requirements can affect cost share.
• Remember that award terms and conditions also apply to sub-awardees. If NIU is the prime holder of the award, we will need communicate any changes with the subrecipient’s PI. Changes may include terminating the award. If NIU is the subrecipient, you should contact your PI to ask about any additional guidance they are receiving from their institution.

• Programs may face restructuring, delays, or defunding.
• Notify SPA immediately of any stop work orders or funding changes you receive and wait for guidance. Spending against the award will need to stop and any continuing charges will need to move to a non-sponsored account.
• Costs incurred up to the date of the stop-work order are typically reimbursable.

• RIPS is working on a list of potential grants and contracts that could be subject to change. If you believe your program(s) may be impacted, please contact Dara Little.
• While we navigate the transition, where appropriate, we encourage you to exercise fiscal restraint such as pausing the hiring of new employees, travel, equipment and other significant expenditures such as issuance of subawards. Contact Dara Little to discuss your specific situation.
• SPA will continue to submit for reimbursement of expenses
• Carefully consider the submission of new requests to SPA for Advance Accounts; SPA will scrutinize them more closely.

The University of Minnesota Libraries offers extensive information to help identify and track steps taken by the Trump administration and Congress to scale back or eliminate access to federal government information, along with current efforts to rescue this data.

Finding Government Information during the 2025 Administration Transition - Research Guides at University of Minnesota Minneapolis

If you have a loss (or are concerned about a potential loss) of government datasets for your research and scholarship, please contact Associate Vice President for Research Dara Little at dlittle@niu.edu. This information will help RIPS coordinate with campus units to address the impacts of lost data.

APLU Statement issued May, 5 2025

Effective May 5, 2025, NSF will apply a standard indirect cost rate not to exceed 15% to all grants and cooperative agreements awarded to IHEs for which indirect costs are allowable. Read the NSP Policy. The awardee is authorized to determine the appropriate rate up to this limit.

Policy notice received April 14, 2024, from the Department of Energy directing the use of a 15% indirect cost rate on all new DOE awards and termination and reissuance of existing awards at the flat 15% rate.

April 14, 2025: US District Court Challenge to DOE PF2025-22 Adjusting Department of Energy Grant Policy for Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) (PDF)

April 14, 2025: PF2025-22 Adjusting Department of Energy Grant Policy for Institutions of Higher Education (IHE)

A federal judge on March 5 issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that halts the implementation of a 15% indirect cost rate on NIH grants and contracts. NIU will continue to submit NIH proposals using our full federally negotiated rates (PDF).

Lawsuit protecting states and residents from NIH’s implementation of the 15% indirect cost rate cap (PDF).

Notice by NIH applying a standard indirect cost rate of 15% across all NIH grants and replacing previously negotiated rates (PDF).

On January 31, 2025, a temporary restraining order was entered into prohibiting Federal agencies from pausing, freezing, impeding, blocking, canceling, or terminating any awards or obligations on the basis of the OMB M-25-13 or the President’s recently issued Executive Orders.

On January 29, 2025, The Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies to Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan and Other Financial Assistance Program (OMB M-25-13) was rescinded (PDF).

On January 27, 2025, The U.S. Office of Management and Budget issued a Memorandum for Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies to Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs (PDF) (OMB M-25-13). QA to Memo (PDF).

This memo directs Federal agencies to temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of Federal financial assistance and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders. The new administration has communicated that the purpose of the pause, which includes grants and loans, is to give federal agencies time to review programs, projects, and activities to ensure compliance with recent Executive Orders, including those on immigration; climate; energy; diversity, equity, and inclusion; abortion; and gender identity. The date by which the pause will be lifted is not specified in the OMB Memorandum.

On January 20, 2025, the President issued an Executive Order relating to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs.