Federal funding for Brown University, totaling half a billion dollars, is to be reinstated following a deal struck between the institution and the Trump administration.
Brown University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration to restore $510 million in federal research funding, following a funding freeze initiated in April 2025. The agreement comes with several significant conditions on university policies.
Under the terms of the agreement, Brown University has committed to not engage in unlawful racial discrimination in admissions or university programming and will provide access to relevant data to verify compliance with merit-based admissions. The university will also pay $50 million over ten years to state workforce development organizations in Rhode Island that comply with anti-discrimination laws, supporting regional economic growth and career opportunities.
The agreement also includes a provision for Brown University to adopt President Trump’s Executive Order 14168 definitions of "male" and "female" for women’s sports, programming, facilities, and housing. The university has agreed not to perform gender reassignment surgeries on minors or prescribe puberty blockers or cross-sex hormones. Furthermore, Brown University will end programs that promote "race-based outcomes, quotas, diversity targets or similar efforts."
In addition, the agreement reinstates all Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) grants, restores eligibility for future federal grants, and closes pending investigations into compliance with federal civil rights laws. A three-year federal monitoring period is established to ensure ongoing compliance with the agreement and federal laws.
Brown University emphasized that it retains its academic independence and commitment to free inquiry, free expression, and academic freedom, balanced carefully with the federal administration’s priorities in this resolution. The agreement includes no fines or payments to the federal government outside the $50 million workforce grants.
The agreement follows a funding freeze that withheld payments on active NIH and other federal research grants, severely impacting Brown’s research and financial sustainability. The reinstatement ensures continued research and educational opportunities while enforcing federal nondiscrimination laws according to the administration's definitions and policies.
It is important to note that there is no finding or admission of wrongdoing on the part of Brown University in the agreement. Brown University has committed to proactive measures to protect Jewish students and combat Antisemitism on campus. The university was one of 60 colleges and universities that the Department of Education's civil rights arm warned earlier this month could have federal funding taken away over alleged antisemitic discrimination and harassment on campus.
Brown University's $7.2 billion endowment is the lowest among schools in the Ivy League, and the university reported a $42 million budget deficit in 2024, which the school expects "to grow significantly in the near term." As part of the deal, Brown University will contribute $50 million to workforce development organizations in Rhode Island.
The Trump administration's goal is to restore higher education institutions to places dedicated to truth-seeking, academic merit, and civil debate, free from discrimination and harassment. The agreement between Brown University and the Trump administration is a significant step towards achieving this goal. Education Secretary Linda McMahon stated that the agreement will ensure students are judged solely on their merits, not their race or sex.
This agreement follows the Trump administration's previous freezing of about $400 million in federal funds from Columbia University and clawing back $2.6 billion from Harvard University over antisemitism concerns. Harvard is currently in talks to settle with the Trump administration for as much as $500 million. Columbia University agreed to pay a $200 million fine earlier this week to restore funding.
In compliance with the agreement, Brown University will not only reinstate research funding, but also implement President Trump's Executive Order 14168 definitions for gender and bar gender reassignment surgeries on minors. Brown University firmly emphasizes its academic independence while promoting civil debate, truth-seeking, and anti-discrimination, focusing on merit-based admissions and combating Antisemitism on campus. The agreement also mandates a $50 million contribution to Rhode Island workforce development organizations, designed to spur regional economic growth and career opportunities.
