As we near the end of September, the Cal Poly Humboldt Sponsored Programs Foundation would like to address concerns over the potential government shutdown.

“If Congress does not pass a funding plan that is signed into law, a partial government shutdown will occur on October 1st, 2023. For context, in 2018, a federal shutdown occurred and lasted 35 days; and, in 2013, the shutdown lasted 10 days. Some may recall, in 2018, the shutdown affected all areas of research administration (Pre-Award, Compliance, and Post-Award)... Additionally, after government operations resumed, some awards were required to reduce new award budgets or outward years on existing awards. Although we do not have certainty of the degree of impact or length of a shutdown (should it occur), it is important to be prepared and ready to address the impacts thoughtfully and proactively.” - Melissa Mullen, Director, Sponsored Programs Administration, CSU Office of the Chancellor

Below are some quick facts about the potential shutdown, from the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR). For more information Click Here to view the full memo ‘Considerations when Preparing for the Federal Government Shutdown’ dated 9/27/23 from COGR.

Proposals & Application Systems

• Proposal preparation systems are expected to still be online during a shutdown. However, it is expected that proposals will not be processed by agencies until normal operations resume. Watch for announcements from agencies for extensions of deadline dates. 

• Agencies will likely not issue new notices, awards, or other actions during the shutdown.

Award Management

• You may continue working on federal awards. However, SPF recognizes the longer the duration of the shutdown, the higher financial risk PI’s face. If expenses made during a shutdown (including payroll) are later disallowed for reimbursement, discretionary research funds may be required to offset those expenses. 

• Principal Investigators with awards set to end during the lapse should ideally, submit NCE requests before the shutdown, as any NCE requiring agency approval may not be processed until normal operations resume.

• Federal personnel will not be available. While each agency may articulate emergency contact procedures, as a rule, do not expect federal personnel to be available to respond to emails. 

• For federal contracts, “Stop Work” orders may be implemented, in which case, those employees can no longer be paid with federal funds. If you receive a Stop Work notice, please contact your Post-Award Grant Analyst immediately for further instructions. 

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please email hsuf@humboldt.edu. You can also Click Here for an available list of Agency Contingency Plans.