Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to share an update on the latest impacts from the federal administration transition.
Late last week and over the weekend, Notre Dame received formal notice of cancellations to previously awarded grants and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and its related organizations and societies. In addition, we understand that many staff at the NEH have been put on leave. While the full extent of the changes at the NEH is not yet known, Notre Dame is anticipating further cuts, or possibly the complete elimination, of some programs, changes to program eligibility based on Executive Orders, limited access to staff who now may be on administrative leave or may be managing larger portfolios as a result of staffing changes, and additional possible impacts to related organizations that receive funding from the NEH.
These recent changes are part of a larger period of flux within many federal agencies. Since January, Notre Dame Research (NDR) has been working closely with the faculty and staff members who may be impacted by the proposed closures of the Department of Education and its related Institute of Education Sciences, and the confirmed closures of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the United States Institute of Peace. NDR is also continuing to navigate the challenges of grant terminations, such as those that have been received from the Department of Defense, the Department of State, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), thus far.
As a reminder, we continue to request that all researchers and administrators share relevant agency communications, such as new information related to the ongoing changes at the NEH, or other impacted federal agencies, with NDR at federalresponse-list@nd.edu. Senior members of the NDR and Notre Dame DC teams review these emails and are here to support affected faculty and staff with guidance and support on topics ranging from proposal development advice to required agency certifications, from termination notices to advocacy and federal relations guidance, and more. Please send any questions or concerns that you may have; all queries will be answered within 48 hours by a member of the NDR or DC leadership teams.
Notre Dame has a well-established relationship with the NEH, with our faculty members long having record success in securing these distinguished fellowships. As with the other areas of research impacted so far, we remain strongly committed to the important work of our artists and scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. In these complicated and rapidly changing times, Notre Dame Research is working hard to ensure that you can continue your expert work of bringing research, scholarship, and creative endeavor to the world in a way that meaningfully addresses our most pressing challenges.
