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MIAMI – The President Donald Trump administration rescinded a $16.3 million grant for Florida A&M University’s pharmacy school, putting the program in peril.

The school announced the cancellation of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant in a newsletter to students, faculty staff and the alumni association.

The cuts are part of Trump’s initiative to stop federal funding for DEI programs at universities and colleges.

School officials are currently appealing the decision.

If all fails, they are asking alumni and supporters to step up to the plate to keep the program operating.

The grant funded FAMU’s College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and its long-standing Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program.

The program, which debuted in 1985, was renewed last year for nearly five more years.

It helped support research in areas such as cancer biology, artificial intelligence, and health disparities—particularly in underserved communities.

FAMU interim president Dr. Timothy Beard confirmed that the university is actively challenging the NIH’s decision.

He emphasized how critical the RCMI program has been, not only for biomedical research but also in helping the school graduate a large share of the country’s minority Ph.D. holders in pharmaceutical science.

FAMU officials say they’re dealing with other federal funding challenges as well. While most of the university’s 900+ grants are still active, one other known cancellation involved a $2.3 million subcontract related to Social Security research.

Other projects, like a climate study partnership, have faced temporary freezes.