The following resources are provided in the event they will be of interest to visitors to this site, and does not imply endorsement by participating societies. This list will be updated on a regular basis.
While form letters have their place, we encourage you to write personalized letters to your congressional representatives, or call. Share specific examples of how your research benefits your community or the nation, and why sustained federal funding is crucial. Personal stories are often more compelling. You can find out how to contact your congressional representatives here. Some talking points are listed below.
US Representative Rosa DeLauro, cochair of the US House Congressional Rapid Response Task Force and Litigation Working Group, has asked for stories about the effects of funding freezes
The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has a survey for fired federal science employees
Senator Ed Markey is collecting stories about the impacts of the Trump Administration. Anyone can submit their story in this online form
https://silencedsciencestories.com/ features scientists impacted by federal firings and budget cuts
The Wildlife Society has an open submission form for a "Wildlife Vocalizations" series to showcase stories from wildlife biologists who have been impacted by firings/budget freezes:
American Intitute for Biological Science is collecting concrete information about the status of current federal grant awards. In particular, they are interested in any official communication or notices you have received about an ongoing award. (For example: email notifying your award has been suspended, defunded, modified, etc.)
AGU is soliciting information about how federal actions against science, particularly firings of federal science employees and freezing of grants, is affecting society
A secure, anonymous portal for sharing information about the impacts of changes in the federal government: A Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit has created a platform where government workers and others can share how federal contract terminations, staff cuts and data issues impact their work without using personal information
United for Medical Research (UMR) is collecting stories to call attention to the impact of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding on the education and careers of researchers and scientists, as well as the lives of patients and families. (AAAS is a member of UMR.) UMR will use these “My Why” stories in its communications and advocacy with members of Congress, policymakers and the media.
Write op-eds, letters to editors, or guest columns for your local newspapers, or for magazines. Get in touch with media to tell your story of the benefits of your work, publicly funded science in general, and the harms arising from cuts to the science. Again, personal stories can make for an especially compelling hook. We encourage specific descriptions of cases in which cuts are harmful to the public, unethical, or financially wasteful. News organizations can be an effective means to reach a broad audience and stimulate them to take actions to defend science. One resource for drafting a compelling op-ed is at https://www.theopedproject.org/askajournalist. Story-telling resources are also useful, and a multitude can be found through an online search (e.g., here and here).
Reconnect with your hometown newspaper. Science Homecoming helps scientists reconnect with communities by writing about the importance of science funding in their hometown newspapers. We’ve mapped every small newspaper in the U.S. and provide resources to get you started. Help science get back home sciencehomecoming.com
Local communities rarely get to connect with the scientists whose work their tax dollars support. To help increase opportunities for public awareness of the impactful research being done across the United States, please consider participating in the McClintock Letters.
Nature magazine journalists are collecting information on how government actions are impacting research.
If you have friends, families, or neighbors who are less familiar with the benefits of scientific research, share your stories with them. Explain to them the ways that basic and applied science contribute to their own health, safety, and economic prospects, and those of the nation overall. Highlight the ways that they personally have benefitted from public services and government research. Tell them about the changes impacting federal support for science, and the harmful consequences of these changes. Encourage them to contact their representatives as well to express displeasure at cuts to science.
The following programs are open to any professional in a STEM career (graduate student, postdoc, academic, non-profit, government)
The Skype-a-Scientist program will connect you with a classroom across the globe https://www.skypeascientist.com
Letters to a PreScientist faciliates hand-written correspondence with an elementary or middle school student in the US and territories. Sign up for their mailing list and register to participate between June and August. https://prescientist.org/volunteers/
Follow these guidelines or use the resources at SaveNSF.com
American Institute of the Biological Sciences Advocacy Talking Points and Resources Document
This memorandum from law professors explains why DEI programs are lawful
The Science and Technology Equal Opportunities Act, passed by Congress in 1980, mandated the National Science Foundation to increase the participation of women and minorities in science and technology
Cost of investment
The historical budget for the National Science Foundation has been about eight billion dollars a year, which costs little less than $24 per person in the US
Benefits to economy
The National Bureau for Economic Research estimated that the economic output for each dollar invested by the federal government into research and development is nearly three dollars, and that there was no difference between private investments and public investments in the amount they stimulated the economy
Economic impacts of cuts
Institute from Macroeconomic & Policy Analysis report on the economic value of federal R&D funding from the https://aura.american.edu/articles/report/Preliminary_Estimates_of_the_Macroeconomic_Costs_of_Cutting_Federal_Funding_for_Scientific_Research/28746446?file=53480237
Economic impacts of cuts to NSF, published in Forbes.
The plots in this Sanders report detail the slash in funding for cancer research and NIH funding.
Resources for Researchers and Scholars under Threat in the United States, maintained by the National Academies
The Union of Concerned Scientists has a “Know Your Rights” website aimed at federal scientists.
Tips for using Signal Encrypted Messaging
COGR has an extensive information page with updates on ongoing lawsuits https://www.cogr.edu/2025-administration-transition-information-resources
If you have had a grant cancelled? Use Grant Watch to record this cancellation and appeal (even if it seems hopeless)
Rapid Response Bridge Funding Program from the Spencer Foundation are $25,000 grants earmarked for early-career researchers whose NSF-funded research on STEM and education has just been terminated
Understanding the Law and Policies for Grant Terminations for the National Science Foundation , maintained by the Center for the Defense of Academic Freedom
For NSF grant cancelations, there is a legal basis for you to appeal within 30 days as outlined in the in PPAPG https://www.nsf.gov/policies/pappg/24-1/ch-12-disputes-misconduct and in Uniform Guidance 200.340 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-D/subject-group-ECFR86b76dde0e1e9dc/section-200.340
If you have suffered specific harms from government cuts that you suspect are in violation of established laws passed by Congress, you may wish to seek legal counsel to evaluate your options for legal action. The American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) has provided a list of legal resources for those affected by cuts:
NSF and NIH Grant Tracker on GrantWatch maintained by Noam Ross and Scott Delaney
Litigation Tracker, maintained by justsecurity.org, tracks legal challenges to Trump administration actions
The United States Disappeared Tracker is attempting to track people who are being detained without due process
Immigration Rights and Information
Guidance for finding licensed immigration attorneys, including pro bono and reduced price legal services
State-level legal, lawyer referral, and community immigration services (note that the states represent those where Northeastern University has campuses, but the services listed are not exclusive to NU community members).
National nonprofit resources
Federal government immigration agencies and brief summaries of their purposes/jurisdictions
ACLU’s Know Your Rights: Immigrants’ Rights
General information on your rights as an immigrant in the USA, including interaction with law enforcement, encountering immigration officers while traveling, detention, and finding a lawyer.
ACLU’s Know Your Rights: Enforcement at the Airport
Information on your rights regarding personal or baggage searches, questioning, and detention when entering or leaving the USA at an airport
Red Cards - Print, order, or download for free
Red Cards, designed by the Immigration Legal Resource Center, have information on your Constitutional rights (which apply regardless of citizenship status) should you get approached by immigration officers. They can be printed in 19 different languages.
Subtitle: Documentation requirements for entry after international travel
Published 1 April 2025 by Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C., Attorneys at Law (Boston-based immigration law firm)
Immigration rights newsletter sign-up targeted toward researchers and higher education community members
Published monthly by Iandoli Desai & Cronin P.C, Attorneys at Law (Boston-based immigration law firm)
Information for students whose visas have been revoked
This website by the Murthy Law Firm also contains useful information about visa revocations