- Python Software Foundation rejects what would be largest grant ever
- To accept the grant, it would have to abandon all DEI-related activities
- The National Science Foundation would be able to “recover” the funds
The Python Software Foundation has rejected a $1.5 million government grant in order to maintain its values and commitments to integrity.
Python’s board of directors voted unanimously to withdraw its application for what would have been the largest grant in the organization’s history, in protest of rules set by the U.S. government for accepting such awards.
The Trump administration’s anti-DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) requirements mean that all recipients of grants awarded by the National Science Foundation must adhere to policy requirements, not only for security work directly funded by the grant, but for “all PSF activity as a whole” – meaning that Python would be forced to abandon any project that might fall under that umbrella.
Right to “recover”
Language cited by the Python Software Foundation included a requirement that it would not “during the term of this financial assistance, operate any program advancing or promoting DEI, or a discriminatory equity ideology in violation of federal anti-discrimination laws.”
This means that it would be unable to achieve its core mission goal of “supporting and facilitating the growth of a diverse and international community of Python programmers,” a commitment completely inconsistent with the restrictive terms of the grant.
“Additionally, violation of this term gave NSF the right to “claw back” previously approved and transferred funds. This would create a situation where the money we had already spent could be recouped, which would constitute a huge and unlimited financial risk,” the Python Software Foundation continued in its statement.
This is not the first time that the Trump administration’s attempts to control and manipulate private businesses into aligning with the current administration’s political vision have failed, with the nonprofit The Carpentries also withdrawing a similar application so that it can continue to support and educate underrepresented students in outreach, recruitment and engagement programs.
The National Science Foundation is also not the only department with strict policy restrictions on its grant programs. The Department of Homeland Security also indicated that states would be denied election security funding if they fail to comply with their election policy goals, making the funds inaccessible to most of the country.
This is a serious and worrying shift toward authoritarianism, with the president and administration holding necessary funding hostage in order to tightly control the political direction of private and public organizations.
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