FAMU Pharmacy School is requesting assistance after losing a $16.3 million grant due to Trump budget cuts
The pharmacy department at Florida A&M University is raising concerns after losing a $16.3 million grant that had long funded student resources and research. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) provided the funding, which was terminated in March as part of larger government budget cuts during the Trump administration.
Following the loss of one of its biggest grants, FAMU is appealing the ruling and urging fans and alumni to donate during its yearly Day of Giving.
FAMU’s long-standing Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program and College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences were supported by the discontinued funding. The program, which has been in operation since 1985, was extended for almost five more years last year. It provided funding for studies in fields including artificial intelligence, cancer biology, and health inequalities, especially in underprivileged areas.
Dr. Timothy Beard, FAMU’s acting president, affirmed that the university is vigorously contesting the NIH ruling. In addition to its importance for biomedical research, he highlighted the RCMI program’s role in helping the institution graduate a significant number of the nation’s minority Ph.D. holders in pharmaceutical sciences.
The defeat coincides with the federal government’s quest for significant spending cuts under Trump, including directives that target financing for scientific research and DEI initiatives.
Interim dean Seth Ablordeppey called on supporters to unite in support of FAMU in a statement to the community. “The loss of the grant puts pressure on students who depend on that funding for scholarships and daily support, many of whom are first-generation college attendees,” he noted.
Officials at FAMU said they are also facing other federal financing issues. Although the majority of the university’s more than 900 awards remain in effect, there was one other reported cancellation, involving a $2.3 million subcontract for research on Social Security. There have been brief freezes on other projects, such as a partnership for a climate study.
University administrators are urging the community to assist in filling the budget shortfall during FAMU’s Day of Giving, which takes place from Thursday morning until Friday afternoon. Contributions to the pharmacy school will be used directly to teach future medical professionals and advance public health research.
