Stand Up for Science presses NSF to pause grant policy changes

Stand Up for Science filed a public comment urging the National Science Foundation to withdraw proposed grant policy changes until the Office of Management and Budget finalizes its own federal assistance rule. The group says the NSF plan could weaken civil rights safeguards, restrict international collaboration and expand federal control over universities.

Why it matters: - Stand Up for Science says the National Science Foundation proposal could reshape how federal grants are used to oversee universities, with possible effects on academic freedom, civil rights obligations and research collaboration. - The group argues the changes would add new burdens for grant recipients at a time when the OMB rule the NSF is trying to align with is still not final.

What happened: - Stand Up for Science submitted a public comment to the Federal Register on behalf of its foundation on July 24, 2026. - The comment asks the NSF to withdraw its proposal until the Office of Management and Budget issues final agency action on its related “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance” proposal. - The NSF proposal would update grant policies to conform to the OMB draft rules. - Stand Up for Science also launched an Action Center to help advocates submit comments on the NSF proposal. - The NSF proposal is open for public comment through August 24, 2026. - The group is also hosting live workshops to help people draft their own Federal Register comments.

The details: - The comment objects to the proposed removal of requirements tied to statutory civil rights obligations. - It also raises concerns about restrictions on international collaboration. - The filing says the proposal would impose more intensive information collection requirements on institutes of higher education. - Cole Donovan, Stand Up for Science’s director of policy, said the NSF’s effort to “pre-align” its grantmaking rules before the OMB proposal is finalized is unusual. - Donovan said the OMB proposal has already drawn major pushback from the scientific community and remains in litigation over related executive orders. - Donovan said using grant-related information collection to regulate speech and academic freedom at universities goes beyond NSF’s authority. - The comment says the NSF changes, combined with the president’s executive orders and the proposed OMB requirements, would create more institutional requirements and higher financial burdens for grant recipients. - Stand Up for Science says the full text of the comment is available on the organization’s website. - Donovan and founder and CEO Colette Delawalla are available for comment.

Between the lines: - The filing is part of a broader pressure campaign against proposed federal changes that science advocates view as a political expansion of grant oversight. - Stand Up for Science is trying to turn the NSF comment period into a public mobilization effort after what it describes as success in rallying comment submissions on the OMB proposal. - The argument is not only about grant administration. It is also about who gets to set the boundaries between funding rules, institutional governance and speech.

What's next: - NSF will review public comments before deciding whether to revise, advance or withdraw the proposal. - The OMB rulemaking will continue separately unless OMB changes course or finalizes a narrower version. - Stand Up for Science is encouraging advocates to use its comment portal and workshops before the August 24 deadline. - More public response could increase pressure on NSF to slow or alter the proposed policy changes.

The bottom line: - Stand Up for Science is telling NSF to wait. The group says the agency should not rewrite grant policy to match unfinished federal rules that could expand Washington’s control over science funding and universities.