The Trump administration’s termination of more than $12 billion in Health and Human Services grants has severely disrupted scientific and medical research, mental health services, and addiction treatment programs in Minnesota. The cancellations have forced researchers to stop ongoing studies mid-project, fire personnel, and shut down laboratories after receiving notice that awards “no longer effectuate agency priorities.” Scientists and medical institutions have had to halt efforts to develop new vaccines, extend vaccinations, and continue research into health disparities.
The University of Minnesota lost several significant grants, including a $187,261 grant to study vaccine hesitancy and a $2 million award for research into recruiting sexual and gender minority cancer patients for medical studies. The university’s largest termination was a $67 million award to the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center, which was developing the next generation of antiviral drugs for pandemic-level viruses including SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Lassa, and Zika. According to an analysis by Nature, 28.7% of canceled National Institute of Health grants were HIV and AIDS-related, while another 24.3% were trans health related.
Minnesota’s behavioral health sector experienced devastating cuts. The Minnesota Department of Human Services lost up to $27.5 million in behavioral health funding that was awarded to about 85 nonprofits, tribes, and local governments combating mental health and addiction problems. The Stairstep Foundation, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit serving African American communities, lost an estimated $500,000 to $600,000 in funding. “We actually got a call on a Wednesday in the middle of the month, saying, ‘As of 11 o’clock today, please cease and desist all activities,’” said the organization’s president and CEO, the Rev. Alfred Babington-Johnson.
The Minnesota Department of Health shuttered 95 vaccination clinics funded by HHS grants and lost hundreds of millions in grant money. Twenty-three Democratic attorneys general, including Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, successfully sued to temporarily release funds awarded to combat COVID-19, but the Trump administration is appealing that decision. The University of Minnesota’s associate vice president for research called the grant revocations “a violation of trust,” stating: “We promise the federal government we will do the work and the federal government promises to help pay for it.”
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.minnpost.com/national/2025/04/health-grant-cuts-upend-medical-research-mental-health-and-addiction-services-in-minnesota/