By Nicole Weatherholtz | Friday, May 29, 2026, 3:43 PM EDT
The Trump administration has slow-walked the approval of millions of dollars in National Science Foundation grants to Harvard, Yale, Princeton and Duke University. Grant proposals that had advanced through the foundation’s review process were flagged for further scrutiny.
The move comes as President Donald Trump continues efforts to reform higher education and ensure taxpayer-funded grants align with federal priorities and the national interest. A White House spokeswoman stated that the reviews are being conducted in accordance with federal law.
More than 40 grants totaling about $35 million were placed on hold at the four universities, with Harvard accounting for roughly half the delayed funding. The grants covered a wide range of research areas, including quantum science, nuclear physics and agricultural markets.
After media inquiries this week, the National Science Foundation began releasing some of the delayed awards. Nearly a dozen grants were approved Wednesday and Thursday after being held up for months.
The administration’s actions have drawn criticism from higher education advocates and legal scholars. Michael Gerhardt, a constitutional law professor at the University of North Carolina, argued that the delays could conflict with a previous court ruling involving Harvard. “It’s the same game the administration has been waging since day 1,” Gerhardt said.
University officials expressed concern about the slowdown. Peter Schiffer, Princeton’s dean for research, said: “Like other universities, we have experienced a noticeable slowdown in new federal research grants. The NSF has not informed us of any blanket action involving our pipeline of NSF-funded projects, many of which involve quantum science and engineering, computing and a range of other emerging technologies critical to the economic and national security of the United States.”
Chris Simmons, Duke’s vice president for government relations, added: “We are highly concerned with the lag in the awards from the NSF.”
Harvard has been a frequent target of administration scrutiny since Trump returned to office, particularly after the university successfully challenged federal funding cuts in court. The administration has vowed to appeal that ruling while pursuing broader reforms to the federal grant-making process.
Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, called the NSF slowdown “substantial” and said his organization is “worried and confused, because we have not gotten any explanation.”
