Federal Shutdown Information

 

What to Expect:

As of November 13, 2025, the federal government has fully reopened, and agencies are getting back to business.
Key research funders , including NSF, NIH, DOE, and others — are restoring system access, restarting proposal and award activity, and beginning to process the backlog created during the shutdown.

OGCA is actively tracking agency announcements as they come out. If you receive updates that are not yet reflected on this page, please forward them to uaf-ogca@alaska.edu and include the subject line: Federal Guidance Updates.

As agencies ramp back up, we anticipate a temporary increase in activity across the board — new awards, amendments, post-submission requests, and fresh funding opportunities. Some program officers may move quickly to reset deadlines and distribute funds, potentially on shortened timelines. In other cases, delays may continue as agencies work through the remaining backlog.

Staying Informed

• Check each federal agency’s reopening page for the latest guidance.

• Keep an eye on this page and communications from  OGCA for additional updates.

• If you have questions, reach out to your assigned  departmental research administrator or the appropriate OGCA contact.

Available Resume Operation Resources (updated 12/3/2025):

• Department of Agriculture

• Department of Commerce

• Department of Defense

• Department of Education

• Department of Energy

• Department of Health and Human Services

• National Institute of Health

• Department of Homeland Security

• Office of Justice Programs

• Environmental Protection Agency

• National Aeronautics and Space Admin (NASA)

• National Science Foundation (NSF)

 

•  **As OGCA gets information we will be updating this webpage in real-time.**

As with previous federal government shutdowns, researchers with active federally sponsored grants and contracts will generally be instructed to continue work unless the project requires significant involvement of federal employees. We have not received sponsor-specific guidance regarding how the potential federal government shutdown may impact submission of new or competing proposal submissions, we anticipate that some agencies will not be available to process these. 

We will continue to monitor agency communications regarding the potential shutdown and provide detailed updates and specific guidance via email and this webpage.

(10.13.25) Council of Government Relations 

COGR has compiled a list of considerations for research institutions to manage federally sponsored projects during a federal government shutdown. This list is based on past shutdown experiences and current information, and is not official guidance. It will be updated as new information becomes available.

COGR Considerations for a Federal Government Shutdown

Federal Agencies

 

(10.13.25) Department of Agriculture

USDA’s Research, Education, and Economics units—including ARS, ERS, and NIFA—are operating at a minimal level, focusing only on essential functions such as the protection of human and animal life.

NIFA has paused all program activities and is running with a skeleton staff.

Other USDA operations, including payment processing and contracts or agreements not related to exempted programs, are temporarily suspended.

Lapse of Funding Plan - U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(10.13.25) Department of Commerce

Most research activities at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will pause during the government lapse.

However, operations under the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) will continue. NIST and other unit staff who support CPO will carry on their work using funding provided by the CHIPS Act of 2022.

Shutdown Due to Lapse of Congressional Appropriations

(10.13.25) Department of Defense

Existing contracts can continue, and payments using funds from previous years will proceed as usual. However, certain restrictions apply: employees cannot access government facilities, government staff will not actively manage contracts, and no government resources can be used in ways that create new obligations.

No new contracts may be awarded, and additional funding cannot be added to contracts that are funded incrementally.

DOD CONTINGENCY PLAN GUIDANCE

(10.13.25) Department of Education

Grantees can continue drawing on existing awards for at least the first week of a government shutdown.

Those with conditional requirements—such as prior-year audits or other documentation—should keep preparing submissions, though Department of Education staff will not be able to review or process them until operations resume.

No new grants will be awarded, except for programs with mandatory or advance funding.

The G5 system and hotline remain accessible, but DOEd staff are furloughed and cannot offer technical support during the shutdown.

Department of Education Contingency Plan for Lapse in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Appropriations

(10.13.25) Department of Energy

DOE offices will keep operating until prior-year funds run out, though some activities may be limited.

Work under existing contracts and other funding instruments, including grants, will proceed as planned.

The Bonneville Power Administration, which operates on its own funding, will continue normal operations without interruption.

DOE Implementation Activities Plan in the Case of a Lapse of Appropriations

(10.13.25) Department of Health and Human Services

Ongoing activities on existing DHHS awards can continue as long as the awards are within their performance period and funds are available.

The DHHS Payment Management System remains active for processing drawdown requests, though requests that trigger edit checks, restrictions, or limits may be delayed until staff return.

No new grant awards will be issued during the funding lapse.

FY 2026 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations in the Absence of Enacted Annual Appropriations

(10.13.25) National Institute of Health

All grant reviews, new awards, program management activities, and responses to prior approval requests are on hold.

eRA Commons remains accessible, allowing grantees to submit RPPRs, NCE notifications, and other routine updates.

Information for the NIH Extramural Community During Funding Lapse

(10.13.25) Department of Homeland Security

Payments can continue on awards funded from prior allocations.

No new grants will be issued, except for specific exempted functions such as those protecting life and property.

Lapse in Funding for DHS

 

(10.13.25) Office of Justice Programs

Existing DOJ-funded projects may continue, and funds can still be drawn down. New awards and approvals, however, are paused while JustGrants is offline, and any actions requiring DOJ staff—such as modifications, approvals, or monitoring—are on hold until the government reopens. Once operations resume, DOJ will review deadlines affected by the shutdown and may extend them as needed.

SAM.gov, ASAP, and Grants.gov remain available, though responses from Grants.gov may be slower than usual.

FY 2026 Contingency Plan - Department of Justice

(10.13.25) Environmental Protection Agency

No new obligations can be made for grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts.

Ongoing work under existing grants, agreements, and contracts may continue.

Grantees can still request funds through the Automated Standard Application for Payments (ASAP) system, though requests requiring EPA staff intervention may be delayed.

EPA Contingency Plan for Shutdown

(10.13.25) National Aeronautics and Space Admin (NASA)

Ongoing work on contracts, grants, and other awards funded before the lapse may continue, as long as it doesn’t require NASA facilities, oversight, or staff input.

New contracts and grants will not be issued, except in limited, specified circumstances.

NASA Continuity of Appropriations Plan

(10.13.25) National Science Foundation (NSF)

Existing grants can continue during their current performance periods, though any monitoring or approvals requiring NSF staff are paused.

For cooperative agreements supporting major facilities or mid-scale infrastructure, work may continue only through the next full monthly reporting period (maximum 30 days) and without NSF approval. Spending should be minimized if the shutdown persists.

The Award Cash Management Service (ACM$) remains available for processing payments from prior obligations.

No new grants, award transfers, continuing grant increments, cooperative agreements, contracts, or funding opportunities will be issued.

Proposal preparation and submission systems remain accessible, but proposals will not be reviewed or processed until operations resume.

Panel reviews have been cancelled if they were scheduled after 9/30/25.

NSF Plan for Operations during lapse in appropriations

 

(Prior year information) - Please default to info above if agency specific information has been provided. 

 

Awards/Additional Funding on Existing Awards:

You should not expect any additional funding to be provided by any closed agency until the Federal Government shutdown has ended. We expect not to receive new awards (or incremental funding on existing awards) during the funding hiatus. You may continue to submit requests for Pre-award/Advance Accounts (new awards) and - until otherwise notified by OGCA - continue spending on existing awards for which you feel confident a new increment of funding will be provided. Remember, however, that PIs and departments are responsible for overdrafts in the event that funding does not materialize. For this reason, it is wise to exercise spending restraint.

Proposal Submissions:

OGCA awaiting guidance from agencies.

Existing projects

Continue working normally unless you receive guidance from OGCA or your program officer/grants official to stop work. If you receive a stop work order, immediately send that communication to OGCA.

Technical Reporting

Please continue to submit on time any award reports that become due (even if there is no one at the agency to read it). If you are using an on-line agency reporting system to file your report and the system will not allow you to submit, please specifically note the date/time you attempted submission, and submit your report promptly after the funding hiatus is over.

Agency prior approvals

You will likely not be able to obtain prior approvals from federal officials during the funding hiatus (including requests previously submitted and ones you need now to submit). The specific activities that are the subject of the prior approval should not be undertaken. Consult with OGCA if you have an emergency situation that requires action in this regard.

Requests for Pre-Award Spending/Advance Approval (PASAA)

OGCA awaiting guidance from agencies.

Research Compliance

At this time, we do not anticipate that a shutdown will impact the review and approval of research protocols by UAF's research oversight committees (e.g., IRB, IACUC, etc.). Please note that these services may be more than minimally impacted by a long-term shutdown.

Payments

UAF/OGCA will continue to draw down funding if agency payments systems so allow. OGCA is aware that agency payments may be suspended during the funding hiatus and is taking the necessary steps to allow researchers to continue their work uninterrupted. If the event of a long duration shutdown, additional guidance will be issued.

Federal Systems:

OGCA awaiting guidance from agencies.

Work should continue on all federal awards:

Agencies will notify Principal Investigators if work should be stopped or curtailed. However, we do not envision this scenario being commonplace. If you receive specific sponsor guidance, please notify OGCA immediately at uaf-ogca@alaska.edu.

Contracts:

It is likely that each Contract will receive specific guidance as to whether work can continue or if a stoppage is in effect and notify OGCA at uaf-ogca@alaska.edu .

Review Panels:

OGCA awaiting guidance from agencies.