AFS Joins Numerous Organizations Opposing Changes to Federal Grant Guidelines

Today is the last day to register objections by written comment to the proposed new rules regulating federal grants by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). OMB has proposed the most sweeping rewrite of federal grant rules in decades, and it could reshape how research gets funded and managed.

Among the changes:

• Political appointees would gain new discretion over individual grant decisions
• Publication costs could no longer be charged to grants
• Conference and travel funding would require new pre-approval
• Active grants could be terminated without cause.

The work of AFS members often relies on fieldwork, conference participation, and open publication—these changes would impact our field substantially.

We agree with many other arts and humanities organizations commenting on these potential changes that the OMB’s proposed Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (OMB-2026-0034) threatens academic freedom, imposes a political litmus test for federal funding of research, and introduces damaging instability to the American research enterprise.