When a lifeline for young, diverse scientists abruptly disappeared, many feared the damage would last their entire careers. Adelaide Tovar, a researcher at the University of Michigan studying diabetes-linked genes, once doubted she belonged in science. Growing up in poverty as the first in her family to finish high school, she struggled early in college, unsure even how to study.
But after years of dedication to biology and genetics, Tovar finally found validation. Last fall, she was awarded a prestigious grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under the MOSAIC program, designed to support promising early-career scientists from underrepresented backgrounds. “Receiving the award felt like acceptance — like I had finally made it,” said Tovar, now 32. “But now, many of us fear this will cast a shadow over our careers.”
Tovar is among nearly 200 scientists whose futures have been upended by the sudden cancellation of the NIH’s MOSAIC grant program — one casualty of sweeping federal cuts targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Originally launched during Trump’s first term to diversify biomedical research, the program was defunded in his second term as part of a broader rollback of DEI efforts.
In interviews with KFF Health News, Tovar and other MOSAIC recipients voiced concerns that their association with the now-defunct program could stigmatize them professionally. “We could be blacklisted by the NIH simply because of who we are,” said Erica Rodriguez, 35, a Columbia University brain researcher focused on psychiatric disorders. “The grant didn’t just support scientists from diverse backgrounds — it recognized those advocating for inclusion.”
MOSAIC — short for “Maximizing Opportunities for Scientific and Academic Independent Careers” — was created in 2019 to bolster diversity within biomedical research. Awardees, postdoctoral researchers poised to become professors, received early funding to establish their careers. Typically, initial grants provided $100,000–$150,000 annually for salary support, increasing to about $250,000 to help recipients launch independent labs.
The NIH’s definition of diversity under MOSAIC went beyond race or disability. It included scientists from low-income or rural backgrounds, or those whose parents never attended college. Their research spanned critical areas such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, opioid overdoses, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Recently, most MOSAIC scholars were informed — often through terse emails or word of mouth — that their funding would terminate this summer, regardless of how many years remained. The Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the program’s defunding, citing a realignment with President Trump’s orders to dismantle “wasteful, ideologically driven DEI initiatives.”
Trump had prioritized ending diversity programs upon returning to office, deeming them “immoral” and “a massive waste.” Across agencies like the NIH and HHS, hundreds of grants totaling billions have since been rescinded. On April 21, NIH issued a directive barring institutions with DEI programs from receiving federal funds unless they dismantle such initiatives.
“At HHS, we are recommitting to evidence-based science, free of political ideology,” said spokesperson Vianca Rodriguez Feliciano, framing the shift as part of a broader “Make America Healthy Again” campaign.
Yet for many MOSAIC recipients, the loss is deeply personal. Tovar’s research aimed to develop better treatments for diabetes patients who don’t respond to existing therapies. Now, that work faces an uncertain future.
Others like Ashley Albright, 32, a University of California, San Francisco scientist who studies regenerative single-celled organisms, feel devastated. “This was my shot at creating opportunities for other diverse scientists,” she said. “It feels like half of my life’s work is being erased.”
At Harvard, Hannah Grunwald, who researches genetic traits in cave fish, fears that listing a canceled DEI-linked grant on her résumé could cost her future funding or academic positions as universities face pressure to abandon DEI initiatives.
“There’s a real debate now about whether we should even mention MOSAIC on our CVs,” she said.
Scientific organizations that partnered with MOSAIC recipients have condemned the program’s termination as “short-sighted” and “damaging” to future biomedical research. Mary Munson, president of the American Society for Cell Biology, who has mentored many awardees, became visibly emotional discussing the loss.
“I mourn for each of them,” she said. “Their work represented not just personal achievement but breakthroughs that society desperately needs.”
