Upholding Trump Settlement, Brown Awards Grants in RI

Brown University has awarded $3 million in workforce development grants for the state of Rhode Island, the university announced last week, fulfilling part of a settlement agreement it reached with the Trump administration last July to restore frozen research funds.

The university awarded $1.5 million to Community College of Rhode Island, primarily for training early childhood educators, and $1.5 million to the apprenticeship nonprofit Building Futures to train workers for careers in construction.

In addition, the university has launched a process for awarding other $1.5 million “anchor grants,” as well as $200,000 “innovation grants” through its Office of Community Engagement.

“As an anchor institution in the Ocean State, Brown is committed to playing an important role in supporting successful lives and careers for local residents and strengthening Rhode Island’s economy,” Brown president Christina Paxson said in a statement. “These investments will provide important funding for key workforce initiatives by helping to maximize their impact and empower more residents to build stable, meaningful careers that strengthen the state’s economic growth.”

Brown’s voluntary settlement with the federal government last year stipulated that it contribute $50 million to the state’s workforce development over the next decade, among other things. In exchange, the Trump administration restored more than $500 million in health and medical research funding and resolved investigations into complaints of antisemitism on campus.

The agreement also mandated that Brown conduct a campus climate survey and publish the results; the 2025–26 Campus Climate Student Survey Report, released last week, shows that while 85 percent of undergraduates and 76 percent of graduate and medical students reported a sense of belonging and satisfaction with their decision to attend Brown, certain groups reported harassment and discrimination at rates higher than 10 percent—the threshold the university established for requiring action. They include students who are Black/African American, Jewish, LGBTQ, multiracial, Muslim and transgender/nonbinary. In response, the university plans to expand its Office of Equity Compliance and Reporting and boost anti-discrimination education among students, faculty and staff.