Williams College Rejects NSF, NIH Funds Over Unclear DEI Ban

Williams College has told its faculty that it won’t accept National Science Foundation or National Institutes of Health grants until the agencies clarify what they mean by their ban on colleges promoting diversity, equity and inclusion in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws, Science reported.

The college notified faculty in a May 30 email, saying the federal prohibition undermines academic freedom and that refusing grants could reduce the risk of lawsuits, Science reported. The journal wrote that Williams—whose faculty receive few grants—appears to be the first institution to have gone this far.

An anonymous faculty member told the journal that some faculty “believe the institution is taking a moral stand and living up to its values. But others say it is signaling it doesn’t care about research.”

A college spokesperson told Science, “We expect the pause to be temporary.”

The Trump administration’s executive orders and other statements targeting “illegal DEI” haven’t clarified what federal officials mean by that phrase.

The NIH announced April 21 that in order to receive NIH funding, institutions would have to certify that they don’t operate any DEI or accessibility programs that violate federal antidiscrimination laws. About a month later, the NSF followed suit.