University opposes changes to federal-grant guidelines

Campus & Community

University opposes changes to federal-grant guidelines

Harvard file photo

Jacob Sweet

Harvard Staff Writer

July 22, 2026

long read

Letter argues that overhaul would politicize funding process, hamper health and science advances, damage nation’s security, competitiveness

On May 29, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), along with federal grantmaking agencies, proposed an overhaul to the government-wide framework that has governed for more than a decade how federal grants are reviewed, awarded, and managed.

The proposed rules to the Uniform Guidance, the framework’s formal name, would significantly change the way federally funded research is selected and overseen, giving political appointees a larger say in funding decisions and expanding the government’s ability to cancel grants already underway.

The proposal drew nearly 500,000 public comments before the window closed on July 13, with a large majority opposing the new rules. A final rule could come as early as Oct. 1.

Harvard submitted comment letters from the University, the Medical School, and the T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which urge OMB not to move forward with the proposed changes.

The Gazette spoke with John H. Shaw, senior vice provost for research, who wrote the University’s comment letter, about what the proposed changes would mean for researchers and for the federal research partnership. This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

John H. Shaw.

What has historically been the purpose and scope of the Uniform Guidance? Can you give us an overview as to what’s happened recently?

The Uniform Guidance that’s issued by OMB is a framework that governs how the federal government allocates taxpayer dollars to fund its grant-making to research universities like Harvard, to other nonprofits, and to a wide range of organizations across the nation that the federal government seeks to support.

This framework…