The National Science Foundation (NSF) says attracting women and minorities into science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) is “no longer aligned with its priorities” thanks to Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order. The NSF has issued a statement saying projects that might focus on “people based on protected class or characteristics do not effectuate NSF priorities.”
NSF has spent decades—and billions of dollars—trying to attract more women and members of underrepresented groups into STEM. Not anymore. https://t.co/ik8SGbU1ca
— News from Science (@NewsfromScience) April 18, 2025
From Science.org:
NSF declined to answer a query from Science about how many awards are being killed and their monetary value. But one source told Science the agency’s $1.1 billion education directorate may have canceled as many as 200 grants just today. The $9 billion agency currently funds more than 30,000 research projects.
The trigger is a 21 January executive order from President Donald Trump (E.O. 14173) requiring every federal agency “to terminate all discriminatory and illegal preferences, mandates, policies, programs, activities, guidance, regulations, enforcement actions, consent orders, and requirements.”
NSF has decided the order applies to any awarded grant that advances one criterion used by reviewers in deciding whether the project should be funded: “expanding participation in STEM for women and underrepresented groups.”
Trump gave staff at the National Science Foundation a list of keywords to use when determining which grants to halt. The list included the word “women.” This is an ABSURD way to decide what the country’s top scientists are studying. Let the experts do their jobs. pic.twitter.com/GgwUb51s1z
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) February 12, 2025
[image or embed] — JoeMyGod (@joemygod.bsky.social) April 19, 2025 at 2:05 PM
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