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ANALYSIS: Groups say grants should remain with ‘neutral’ NIH staffers – but nearly all support Democrats
Nearly all donations from National Institutes of Health employees went to Democratic candidates or aligned political action committees, a College Fix analysis found.
The findings come as higher education groups and other liberal advocacy organizations criticize the Trump administration for proposed changes to how research grants are distributed.
The proposed change would require grants to align with the political priorities of the administration in charge at the time. However, some groups argue that decisions should be made by ostensibly neutral bureaucrats, not a president’s political appointees.
Federal research grants, like those from the NIH, should use a “neutral program definition,” the Association of American Universities argued in a public comment. The new grant policy would “inject political and ideological considerations into decisions that have historically been based on scientific merit, programmatic objectives established by Congress, and agency expertise,” the group warned.
Yet across the board, NIH employees support Democrats. And that holds true for the supposedly neutral scientists and program managers who influence the grant decision-making process.
The College Fix reviewed nearly 5,500 donations totaling around $320,000 in the Federal Election Commission database from 2023 through mid-August 2026, covering about two election cycles.
Specifically, 96 percent of donations during the 2023-24 election cycle, $262,897, went to Democratic candidates or aligned groups. Only 3.5 percent, or $9,458.36, went to Republican candidates or aligned causes. The remaining half a percent or so went to groups that did not have a clear ideological bent or distributed donations evenly among the two political parties.
The Fix considered a political action committee Democrat or Republican if more than 75 percent of its contributions went to one party.
For the current midterm cycle, $45,748.23 went to Democrats from NIH employees. This represents nearly 99 percent of all donations. Less than .3 percent went to Republican causes.
The top recipients of Democratic donations were ActBlue, Harris for President, and the Harris Victory Fund. Top Republican aligned recipients were processing platform WinRed, and two Trump-aligned committees, Never Surrender, Inc., and the Trump National Committee JFC, Inc.
The Fix also looked at donations by employees with specific titles indicating they were career scientists or involved in budget decisions – phrases including “program support assistant,” “administrative officer,” or “analyst.”
About 80 percent of all donations from National Institutes of Health employees came from individuals in these categories.
Of this total amount, $260,400, nearly all, 98 percent, went to Democrats. In total, program officials and career scientists donated around $255,000 to Democratic candidates or causes. Just two percent, or about $5,100, went to Republican campaigns.
The College Fix contacted Tobin Smith and Kate Hudson at the Association of American Universities and shared the research results. The Fix asked the two top lobbyists for the group if the statistics changed their perspective on the nonpartisan nature of the NIH. The AAU did not respond to two emails, a press inquiry submission, and voicemail sent in the past month.
The Fix also reached out to the Legal Defense Fund of the NAACP, an organization that similarly criticized the proposal during the public comment period. The group argued that changes would restrict DEI funding and politicize the process. “The proposed rule would accelerate these harms by giving political appointees additional powers to decide who receives federal funding and imposing burdensome new restrictions on how federal funding can be used.”
Policy director Demetria McCain did not respond to two emails sent in the past month. The communications office likewise did not respond to questions about the political donation research and DEI funding, including an email and phone call sent in the past two weeks.
However, the Ethics and Public Policy Center said the Biden administration had its own political ideology in the grantmaking process and this change will ensure decisions are made on merit.
Administrative State Accountability Project director Rachel Morrison said under Biden, “federal agencies unilaterally and unlawfully imposed sexual orientation and gender identity nondiscrimination requirements, minimized religious freedom and conscience protections, and promoted DEI and gender ideology in federal grants.”
“In contrast, the Trump Administration is seeking to ensure federal grants focus on merit and equality,” she told The Fix.
“NIH is under the leadership and direction of the U.S. President who is elected by and accountable to the American people.”
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