University of Alaska says 29 federal grants worth $86.2 million have been restored

The University of Alaska system says it has restored 29 federal grants worth a combined $86.2 million, according to a slide in the materials for the Board of Regents meeting on Nov. 5. The same slide reports that 32 federal grants with $16.7 million in remaining balances have been terminated since 2025.

"To date, the UA system no longer has any frozen or delayed federal grants," the slide states.

It credits one official. "Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) has been our lead champion in restoring federal grants, and is responsible for the vast majority of our success," the slide says.

The figures come from a one-page summary within the board packet. It does not list the grants, the federal agencies involved or the campuses affected. It also does not say whether the 29 restored grants are drawn from the 32 terminated ones or are a separate group.

The slide uses two different measures. Restored grants are counted by total value. Terminated grants are counted by remaining balance, the unspent portion of each award. Subtracting one figure from the other does not produce a net gain or loss, because the two numbers describe different sets of grants by different yardsticks.

The university has dealt with a federal funding freeze before. In early 2025, its federal grant updates page said a White House budget office memo had put a temporary pause on federal grants and contracts through mid-February. The page reported that court rulings had halted that freeze, and said that for the university, the rulings meant academic programs and other federally funded work could continue without disruption.

The Board of Regents governs the University of Alaska system, which includes the universities in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Southeast.