Dear Colleagues,
The federal fiscal year ends this Tuesday, September 30, 2025, and there has been little progress in the last few days in passing a budget. Should Congress and the president not reach an agreement on the continuing resolution (CR) or full-year appropriations, the federal government will be shut down on October 1, 2025. If there is a shutdown, one consequence will be that the administration, distribution, and funding of federal contracts and grants will be impacted.
Although the federal agencies have yet to release official guidance on what to expect concerning agency operations, the Council on Government Relations (COGR) has provided guidance for institutions of higher education to prepare proactively for a shutdown.
Please review the following information regarding the potential impacts to federal awards and the consequences for our work. This is based on past shutdown experience and is subject to change as federal agencies issue guidance specific to this potential shutdown:
- Proposal preparations systems are expected to remain operational during the shutdown
- Websites that support submission of grant applications and progress reports, and other grant management functions - grants.gov and research.gov - will continue to operate, however, while the Grants.gov Contact Center might remain open, it is uncertain if other help desk systems will be available.
- Peer review/study sections are not expected to occur, which may impact proposals awaiting review. If you are currently scheduled for a panel review, please stay tuned for agency guidance.
- All activity not requiring action by federal agency staff, including work under current awards, should continue.
- New awards currently being processed by a federal agency, but not issued before October 1st, will be delayed.
- Issuance of non-competing renewals, and no-cost extensions that require action by agency staff will not occur. Requests for no-cost extensions can be submitted in anticipation of action when staff return.
- Required annual and final reports must be completed and submitted before the deadline. Expect that review or approvals will be delayed.
In general, you should do everything that you would normally do, and do it on time. Absent specific notice to the contrary, those planning grant application submissions should proceed in anticipation of current due dates being in force. Investigators may receive instructions from their contracting or program officers, especially those working with federal labs/facilities and possibly on cooperative agreements. If you receive such information, please notify your ORSP Contract and Grant Specialist immediately.
It is also important to note that historically, in the event of a shutdown, each federal agency would issue their own contingency plans. However, this year, such guidance has not been posted at the time of this message. ORSP and OVPR will continue to monitor the situation and provide updated information as it becomes available. You may also e-mail us with specific questions.
If you are interested in reviewing additional information, the COGR Website “Considerations for a Federal Government Shutdown” is available and will be updated as more information is released.
Sincerely,
Anand Jagota
Vice Provost for Research
Cynthia Kane
Associate Vice Provost, Research and Sponsored Programs
Dominic Packer
Senior Advisor to the Vice Provost for Research