National Science Foundation Resumes Payments After Five-Day Hiatus: What It Means for Science Funding

On Sunday, the National Science Foundation (NSF) reported that its payment system was back online. This followed a judge’s order after the agency halted funding to researchers five days earlier.

Many post-doctoral fellows felt relieved as they could now access crucial payments for rent, food, and other bills. However, some were still worried about mixed messages from the NSF, fearing their grants and job stability might still be in jeopardy.

The NSF didn’t respond to inquiries on Sunday. Researchers typically receive funding either through their universities or directly from the NSF by logging into a portal to request payments. Although they can access all their allocated funds at once, many prefer to withdraw money incrementally, similar to regular paycheck cycles.

Payment was frozen after a January 27 order from the Trump administration, which paused many government payments. This order was later adjusted and ultimately rescinded.

On its website, updated Sunday, the NSF clarified that it cannot delay or stop payments for active awards based solely on compliance concerns with the executive orders. However, when access to the payment portal was blocked, researchers received a message stating that the cash management service would be temporarily unavailable while the NSF reviewed its funding projects.

Even after the payment system reopened, the NSF announced it would continue evaluating its awards relative to the recent executive orders.

In ongoing court cases, state attorneys general argued that the payment freeze violated the U.S. Constitution because Congress had mandated these funds. Many researchers attempted to request larger amounts of their funds to cover their expenses, especially since the federal government had already committed to those payments. Unfortunately, many of those requests were later canceled.

The NSF maintains the right to act for reasons outside the executive orders, which could include legal violations or non-compliance with grant terms. They also cautioned that there might be payment processing delays in the coming days due to the high volume of requests being submitted.

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