Stand Up for Science Submits Public Comment on NSF Proposed Grant Policy Changes

SUFS criticizes premature compliance with OMB draft rules in its Federal Register comment, announces campaign to facilitate public comments on NSF proposal

WASHINGTON DC, DC, UNITED STATES, July 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today, Stand Up for Science submitted a public comment to the Federal Register on behalf of its Foundation, responding to the National Science Foundation’s proposal to update its grant policies to conform to the recent OMB “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” proposal. Notably, the OMB rule change — which received unprecedented pushback from the scientific community — is not finalized.

“The NSF’s move to “pre-align” its own grantmaking rules before the OMB proposal is in place is highly unusual, especially considering the ongoing litigation over related executive orders and the thousands of public comments that OMB has yet to address,” said Cole Donovan, Director of Policy at Stand Up for Science.

The Stand Up for Science comment requests that the NSF proposal be withdrawn until OMB issues its final agency action. The comment expresses concerns over the proposal’s removal of requirements tied to statutory civil rights obligations; the conflicts created by international collaboration restrictions; and the proposal’s attempts to implement sweeping regulatory control over institutes of higher education via more intensive information collection requirements.

“Using an information collection tied to federal grants to regulate speech and academic freedom at universities goes far beyond the powers assigned to the NSF. These increased requirements being placed on institutions that rely on federal funding transforms the use of information collection from a record of accountability of funding into a mechanism for institutional and individual control,” says Donovan.

The SUFS comment also states that when combined with the President’s executive orders and the proposed OMB requirements, the NSF revisions create an excess of new institutional requirements and significant financial burdens for grant recipients. The full text of the comment is available on the SUFS Foundation website.

“This pre-emptive move to align with OMB’s attempts to wield more political power over grant funding will only add more fuel to the fire the Trump Administration has lit under our scientific institutions. It’s another tool of control and overreach,” said Dr. Colette Delawalla, Founder and CEO of Stand Up for Science.

Following its successful efforts to mobilize public action in response to the OMB proposal, Stand Up for Science has launched an Action Center for the NSF proposal, providing resources and tools for science advocates to take action, including a portal to submit a comment to the Federal Register. The proposal is open for public comment through August 24, 2026.

Stand Up for Science is also hosting live workshops to provide assistance to those drafting their own comments for the Federal Register. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions and get live help from SUFS experts.

Donovan and Delawalla are available for comment.

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Stand Up for Science, a 501(c)(4), is a grassroots, Washington, D.C. based, non-profit organization mobilizing the fight for science and democracy. Stand Up for Science was formed in February 2025 in response to executive orders dismantling federal science agencies and undermining the American scientific ecosystem. On March 7th, Stand Up For Science mobilized over 50,000 people at 170+ events across the world on its first National Day of Action. Federal scientists across multiple agencies (NIH, EPA, NASA, FEMA) have chosen Stand Up for Science as the platform for their dissent.
Learn more at www.standupforscience.net

Char Bowling
Stand Up for Science
media@standupforscience.net
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