Federal dollars that benefit hundreds of entities in San Diego County could soon be at risk as the Trump administration scrutinizes federal agencies and funding that don’t align with the president’s agenda.
President Donald Trump announced a freeze on federal grants and loans last month in a sudden move that caused panic and confusion. The freeze was temporarily blocked by a federal judge, then rescinded by the administration the next day.
But Trump’s threat has left many organizations shaken and worried that their funding could soon be in jeopardy again. The Trump administration had said that the freeze was needed to review federal awards to ensure they support Trump’s agenda.
Any moves by Trump or Congress to threaten federal grants could hurt San Diego County, which has benefited from billions of federal grant dollars in recent years.
Public and private entities located in San Diego County have been awarded at least $5.8 billion in new grants directly from the federal government in the five most recent fiscal years, according to a Union-Tribune analysis of data from usaspending.gov, a government website that tracks federal awards.
At least 550 entities in the county have been awarded at least $100,000 in new grants directly from the federal government within that time period, from public school districts, charter schools and local governments to universities, Indian bands and bioscience corporations.
Hundreds of millions of dollars have gone toward: research; health centers for Indian bands and vulnerable populations such as migrant, homeless and low-income individuals; subsidized housing; nursing home care for veterans; law enforcement activities; child care for families below the poverty line; public transit; clean water and much more.
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And these are only grants that flow directly to San Diego organizations. They don’t factor in additional federal monies that flow to San Diego agencies through the state government, such as federal funds for public schools to serve low-income students and special education students, food and income assistance, Medicaid and children’s health insurance for low-income families. So several local entities are actually receiving much more in federal funding than depicted here.
Several local beneficiaries of federal grants said they have not yet heard of definitive impacts to their funding or work, but they are trying to get clarification on what federal actions may be coming.
UC San Diego has received the most in new federal grants in San Diego County in recent years. It has been awarded more than $1 billion since 2020, much of it for research. It has advised researchers to continue business as usual and continue submitting research proposals absent specific notices from a federal agency about a grant award.
Meanwhile, the university says it is working to stay informed of federal developments and has posted a federal updates page on its website; the systemwide University of California also has a federal updates page and an executive order tracker.
“We understand that these actions are increasing anxiety levels across the UC system and that many of you have important questions. There is limited information at this point regarding how these actions will specifically impact the research enterprise. However, we are committed to keeping you informed about federal activities and advocating in support of UC’s research priorities,” the school said.
Here are the top recipients in San Diego County that have been newly awarded grant funding directly from the federal government in the five most recent fiscal years:
- UC San Diego has been awarded at least $1.2 billion in the five most recent fiscal years, primarily for research. UC San Diego has received federal grants for research of all kinds including oceanic sciences, allergies, infectious diseases, cancer, aging, biomedicine, mental health, drug abuse and addiction, minority health, nuclear energy and renewable energy. Some of the top federal agencies that have awarded money to the university include the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Navy and the Department of Energy. In addition to funding for research, the university has also received federal Pell grants from the Department of Education.
- Local transit agencies logged some of the biggest amounts in federal grants. Metropolitan Transit System has been awarded more than $505 million in the most recent five years; North County Transit District has been awarded more than $248 million. The agencies are awarded grants from the Federal Transit Administration, which provides formula grants to fund their regular operations and grants for facility capital improvement projects.
- The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority has been awarded more than $359 million in five years. Those include airport infrastructure improvement grants to fund San Diego International Airport’s new terminal and other projects, such as drainage improvements, electric charging stations and noise mitigation measures for surrounding neighborhoods.
- Both the county government and city of San Diego are some of the county’s top recipients. The county has been directly awarded at least $216 million while San Diego has been awarded at least $159 million. The county has been awarded money for programs including subsidized housing, roadside brush management, energy efficiency, anti-drug trafficking by law enforcement, community development block grants and public health laboratory testing. The city in the past year has been awarded money for its Pure Water project, homelessness services, subsidized housing and the police department’s crime lab, among other things.
- Scripps Research Institute has been awarded more than $199 million for research in many areas, including cardiovascular diseases, cancer, mathematics and physical sciences, allergy and infectious diseases, and military medical research and development.
- The San Diego Association of Governments has been awarded more than $177 million. Last fiscal year, its funding came entirely from the Federal Transit Administration and Federal Highway Administration for “ongoing metropolitan planning” and other projects.
- San Diego Unified School District has been awarded more than $167 million. Much of that has been impact aid that pays for programs serving students of military families. The school district has also received money for Indian education programs, health education and zero-emission school buses.
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