The U.S. federal government has recently cancelled 17 research grants at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte). These grants were worth over $14.3 million. Although some of the money had already been used before the funding was stopped, the decision has still caused a major impact on the university’s research projects.
What Were the Grants For?
The cancelled grants supported many different kinds of research. Some were focused on science education for young girls, while others studied environmental topics like mangrove forests in the Dominican Republic. A big portion of the cancelled research involved helping specific groups, such as Black youth, people with disabilities, and LGBTQ individuals.
In fact, at least 10 of the 17 grants focused on supporting underrepresented communities. Some of these grants were cut because they were related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) efforts. UNC Charlotte confirmed that at least four of the grants were stopped for their DEI focus. However, the university did not reveal the exact reason each grant was terminated.
Why Were the Grants Cancelled?
One specific example comes from Dr. Annelise Mennicke, a researcher at UNC Charlotte. She received a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study LGBTQ health issues. Her project was halfway through its three-year timeline when the funding was stopped. About $50,000 of the $469,069 grant had already been spent.
The termination letter for her project said the study “no longer supports agency priorities.” It also claimed that studies about gender identity are often “unscientific,” don’t benefit the health of most Americans, and ignore biological facts. This reflects a broader trend in the U.S. government, especially under former President Donald Trump’s administration, where federal funding is being pulled from DEI-related programs.
Since January, more than $2.7 billion in NIH grants have been cut. The U.S. Department of Education has also stopped funding for projects they believe are tied to DEI efforts.
UNC Charlotte’s Growth in Research
Despite the recent funding cuts, UNC Charlotte has been expanding its research activities. In the 2023 fiscal year, the university spent over $92 million on research and development. This helped UNC Charlotte earn the prestigious “R1” status, which is given to schools with the highest levels of research activity. Currently, it is the third largest public research university in North Carolina.
Full List of Cancelled Grants
The following is a list of the cancelled research projects and their total funding amounts. These grants were expected to last up to three years:
$296,284 – ASEAN Green Building Education and Research Hub
$1,726,370 – Improving Outcomes for Youth with Disabilities
$49,773 – Mapping Mangrove Forests in Dominican Republic
$99,663 – Disability Innovation Fund
$469,069 – LGBTQ Peer Support Program
$681,851 – Suicide Prevention for Black Youth
$3,312,445 – Pemphigus Disease Research
$217,000 – Research on Online Misinformation
$769,749 – Black Research Support Network in Computer Science
$1,833,701 – Project TLC: Teacher Training
$2,158,238 – Trauma-Informed Education: Project TRUSTED
$149,746 – Research on Virtual Meeting Behavior
$1,062,034 – STEM Learning for Gifted Black Girls
$149,647 – Digital STEM Platform for Girls
$992,789 – Diversity in Graduate and Professor-Level Education
$318,053 – Increasing Women in Computer Science
$42,000 – Sustainability and Resilience Engineering
The cancellation of over $14 million in research grants at UNC Charlotte shows a major shift in how federal funding is being handled. Many of the affected projects focused on diversity, equity, and helping underrepresented groups. While the university continues to grow its research programs, this move could limit progress in important areas like health, education, and equality. The long-term effects of these cuts may slow down the positive changes that these projects were aiming to achieve, especially for the communities they were designed to support.
