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Briefing

Executive Branch Updates: What to Know About the Federal Grant Termination Trend

May 22, 2025 | 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm EDT

Event Details

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About this Event

Federal grant terminations used to be rare. Under an Office of Management and Budget rule implemented during President Donald J. Trump’s first term, the second Trump Administration has prioritized cancellation of grants, which it has determined “no longer effectuates… the program goals or agency priorities.” When grants are abruptly terminated by federal agencies, postsecondary institutions can lose millions of dollars, setting off a cascade of on campus impacts related to the loss and wind-down of particular research, as well as the jobs and infrastructure supported by indirect cost funds. Today’s campus counsel must be prepared to advise their clients on the nuances of unique grant termination regulations for different federal agencies, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Science Foundation (NSF), and Department of Energy (DOE).  

Please join us for this 45-minute audio-only briefing in which NACUA experts Steve Sencer, Counsel at Ropes & Gray LLP, and Nicole Picard, Associate General Counsel at Brown University will: 

  • Provide an update on the latest federal grant termination trends;
  • Review the latest considerations for institutional appeal rights and related processes; and
  • Offer insight on the most important steps colleges and universities should take both before and immediately after they receive a notice of termination.

Who Should Attend? 

This briefing will be of interest to college and university counsel who advise on federal research grants, as well as colleagues in offices of sponsored research and grant managers.

Note: This program is the first in NACUA’s “Executive Branch Updates” series, which follows the Transition Updates: The First 100 Days series. This content of this audio-only briefing builds on the First 100 Days series briefing, Federal Grants: What Counsel Need to Know Today (April 11, 2025). Members seeking further, in-depth, CLE-eligible content are also encouraged to sign up for NACUA’s upcoming two-hour Executive Branch Updates webinar, A New World of Federal Fun(?)ding (June 4, 2025).   

Speakers

Nicole Picard

Associate General Counsel

Brown University

Nicole’s practice primarily supports the research enterprise at Brown University. She advises on federal and state regulatory matters, sponsored research, research integrity, centers and institutes, export controls, lab safety, and medicine and health affairs. Nicole also provides counsel on intellectual property, conflicts of interest, and corporate governance issues.     Prior to Brown, Nicole worked in the government contracts practice of a large international law firm in Washington, D.C. where she advised clients on a broad range of complex regulatory, transactional, and litigation matters. She clerked for the U.S Court of Federal Claims and the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Panel at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.    Nicole has a J.D., summa cum laude, from the Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law, and a B.A., cum laude, from Providence College. Nicole serves as an adjunct professor at Providence College, where she teaches legal writing. 

Steve Sencer

Counsel

Ropes & Gray LLP

Steve Sencer is Counsel at Ropes & Gray, LLP, and the former chief legal officer of Emory University and its affiliated health system. His practice focuses on counseling research universities and academic medical centers on legal, regulatory and business issues related to higher education, academic medicine, federally funded research and innovation.

Steve, who joined Ropes & Gray in 2023, has served as chair of the board of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, chair of the Legal Services Review Panel of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, and a member of the General Counsel Committee of the American Association of Universities. 

While at Emory, Steve was instrumental in the creation of Emory Innovations, Inc., and its wholly controlled drug development company, DRIVE, LLC, as well as the successful licensing of molnupiravir, a COVID-19 oral therapy. 

Prior to joining Emory, Steve was in private practice in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. He was also an assistant district attorney in DeKalb County, Georgia. 

FAQs

Briefing Recording

This briefing recording is complimentary to NACUA members and is available for NACUA members to access on demand through Online Learning Center.

Please contact us at nacua@nacua.org if you have any issues accessing the briefing.

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