2025 White House Executive Orders and Agency Directives

UPDATED: 4/25/25

Many federal agencies are updating their policies and solicitations in response to recent White House Executive Orders. The University of California is monitoring these changes carefully. Please review the Federal Updates provided by the UC Office of the President (UCOP), as well as UC Berkeley’s Federal Updates. These sites cover not just research funding but also other topics that affect our community.

Other useful sources of information include:

 

For Principal Investigators and Their Teams: What You Can Do

Pre-submission and pre-award:

  • The VCRO and SPO advise PIs and RAs who are working on federal proposals to continue with your normal process for proposal submissions until further notice, and to consult with your SPO Contract and Grant Officer (CGO) for guidance.
  • As proposal deadlines approach, check program websites and solicitations for any updates on due dates or requirements to ensure that your proposal is compliant.
  • Award decisions may be delayed, so monitor program websites and FAQs for any news.
  • Consider signing up for alerts from the agencies you apply to. Also sign up for Sponsored Projects Office (SPO) news and updates.


Existing awards:

  • Continue to work on your grants and contracts unless you are notified directly by the agency or SPO. Do not stop work only on the basis of rumor or internal agency guidance. Agencies are required to notify us if there will be changes to your funding once the grant or contract is in place.
  • Try to remain in contact with your program officers, but be aware that some may have a pause on communications.
  • Monitor policy updates from the federal agency overseeing your grant for any updates on funding or compliance requirements. See also the COGR resource page linked below.
  • If PIs or RAs receive any award modifications or other notices, please forward them to SPO as soon as possible at spoawards@berkeley.edu so that these can be reviewed and processed quickly. In particular, notify spoawards@berkeley.edu if you receive a stop work order for an award. A stop work order typically means that all project work needs to stop immediately and no expenses can be incurred on the project as of the effective date of the notice.
  • Closely monitor obligated budget balances to avoid deficits while awaiting future obligations. Anticipated funding remains subject to availability of funds and should not be considered guaranteed.
  • Continue to meet existing deadlines for technical reports or other deliverables.
  • If you have questions about your awards, please contact your SPO Contract and Grant Officer.
     

 If you experience interruptions to your research, please submit them to the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research through this form.