Schedule Policy Rule Puts 50,000 Federal Grant Workers at Risk

The Office of Personnel Management's Schedule Policy/Career classification, which took effect this month, could strip job protections from an estimated 50,000 federal employees — including thousands of grant reviewers and program officers at agencies that distribute billions in research funding annually.

What the Reclassification Means for Grant Agencies

Under the new classification, employees at the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Department of Defense who handle grant-making can be reclassified as at-will workers with presidential approval. Reclassified employees lose due process protections against firing, cannot appeal discipline to the Merit Systems Protection Board, and become significantly easier to dismiss.

OPM states the policy targets employees "intentionally subverting Presidential directives" and claims "relatively few" pure scientific positions will be affected. But the rule broadly designates positions involving grant allocation as "policy-influencing work" — a definition that encompasses program officers managing portfolios worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The Association of American Medical Colleges has warned the true number of affected workers could reach four times OPM's 50,000 estimate.

Why Grant Applicants Face Downstream Risk

Researchers and advocacy organizations worry the reclassification could enable political pressure on merit-based grant review processes, create turnover at agencies already struggling with workforce retention, and slow review timelines as experienced program officers leave or are replaced.

Multiple unions and advocacy organizations have filed legal challenges arguing the policy violates constitutional protections and congressional intent. But until courts rule, agencies are already recommending positions for conversion.

Diversify Now, Before Disruptions Hit

Organizations that depend heavily on a single federal funding source face the greatest risk from potential disruptions to review timelines and shifting agency priorities. The immediate action: diversify your funder base across federal, foundation, and state sources. Applications already in the pipeline are unlikely to be affected near-term, but organizations planning FY2027 submissions should monitor agency staffing developments closely — particularly at NIH and NSF, where program officer turnover could delay review panels. Grant seekers can find funder diversification strategies and ongoing coverage on the Granted blog.