February 3: Updated guidance on federally funded grants, agreements, and contracts

Dear Colleagues,

The status of White House directives on federally funded research activities continues to be incredibly fluid, and the offices of the Provost and Executive Vice President and Vice President for Research are working diligently to make sure that you have the latest information. Today, we are providing updated guidance to staff and faculty working specifically on open federally funded grants, agreements, and contracts.

Work on federally funded awards may resume if activities had been stopped due to the executive orders and related stop-work orders.  For the time being, this includes work involving DEIA (diversity, equity, inclusion, and access) activities. Please continue to comply with the original terms and conditions of the awards.

A United States District Court issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on January 31, 2025 that states the federal grant making agencies shall “not pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate … awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the States, and … not impede the States’ access to such awards and obligations, except on the basis of the applicable authorizing statutes, regulations, and terms.”  According to the TRO, federal agencies cannot stop existing federal funding agreements based on OMB directive or recent executive orders while the TRO is in place. The federal government is permitted to continue to review federal financial assistance based on the executive orders.

This is a rapidly evolving situation with significant uncertainty. Further changes may occur as the courts continue to review the administration’s actions and directives, with the potential for the court order to be reversed.  Continue to visit our federal funding website for the latest information. Also, please send any notices you receive as well as questions or concerns to [email protected].  We will continue to keep you informed on further developments.

Thank you for the continued dedication and commitment that you and your teams bring to your work and CSU’s research mission during this time of uncertainty.  We are here to support you.

Sincerely,

Cass

Cassandra Moseley, Ph.D. 
Vice President for Research