Johns Hopkins Lays Off 110 Employees Amid Federal Funding Decline

Recently, a spokesperson for Johns Hopkins University confirmed that the university has laid off approximately 110 employees in response to cuts in federal research funding. The latest round of layoffs was described as a last resort and primarily affected administrative staff.

In a statement, Johns Hopkins University said:

"As our federal research portfolio shrinks, the infrastructure around it must change in parallel. Last year, we implemented significant cost-management initiatives including a hiring freeze, pausing annual increases for anyone making over $80,000, reducing discretionary spending, eliminating vacant positions, and reducing our five-year capital project spending by 20%."

In March 2025, the university announced the layoff of 2,200 employees, most of whom were based overseas, in direct response to the administration's unilateral dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Further Reading

According to Johns Hopkins University, the institution has been the nation's leading recipient of federal research funding every year since 1979. In fiscal year 2024, every dollar invested in research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) generated approximately $2.56 in economic activity.

However, in a 2026 letter to the university community, JHU President Ron Daniels noted that:

"The total outstanding value of our multiyear federal research portfolio had declined by more than $500 million in calendar year 2025. This was due in part to our receiving 43% less in federal research funding and 28% fewer awards than in the previous year. Unfortunately, as we approach the midpoint of 2026, these downward trends have continued unabated."

To help offset the impact of federal grant terminations and funding delays, the university will invest $60 million annually over the next two years​ to support faculty members pursuing new research and academic initiatives, as well as PhD students and postdoctoral scholars as they complete their training. The program is open to all research disciplines that have historically relied on competitively awarded federal grants.

In addition, this June, Johns Hopkins University and West Virginia University announced a new partnership to bring together researchers from both institutions to tackle complex challenges in health, science, and society, while strengthening faculty teams' competitiveness for future external research funding.

At the center of the partnership is the JHU–WVU Research Collaborative, a three-year, $7 million initiative funded through philanthropic support. The program is designed to help faculty teams launch new interdisciplinary research collaborations and compete for larger external funding opportunities.