Brown University Restores Frozen Grants in $50 Million Deal With White House

Brown University has reached an agreement with the Trump administration that reinstates all federally funded research grants and reopens the Ivy League school’s eligibility for future awards, ending a months-long freeze that had put more than $500 million in projects at risk. Under the pact, Brown will direct $50 million over the next decade to Rhode Island workforce-development organizations. Unlike the government’s recent $221 million settlement with Columbia University, the Providence-based institution will not pay fines to the US Treasury. In exchange, Brown agreed to provide data showing it does not practice unlawful racial discrimination, adopt federal definitions of male and female for athletics and housing, bar gender-affirming medical procedures for minors in campus health facilities, and take steps to improve conditions for Jewish students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon called the deal another step in the administration’s effort to reshape higher-education policies.