Federal Funding Update – USDA Temporarily Halts Payments to UMaine — March 11, 2025

Dear University of Maine and University of Maine at Machias Communities:

I write to make you aware of the latest federal action affecting UMaine and UMaine Machias.

Last evening, a UMaine staff member received word from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) that the agency was withholding all payments to the University of Maine System while USDA “evaluates if it should take any follow-on actions related to prospective Title VI or Title IX violations.”   

Neither UMaine nor the System Office has received direct notice from USDA, so we are uncertain about the details and consequences. We are pursuing these questions, working with the Chancellor’s Office and Maine’s Congressional delegation.

We will follow up with another university announcement as soon as we have more information to share. Principal Investigators (PIs) should direct their questions to Christopher Boynton (christopher.boynton@maine.edu).

Sincerely,

Joan Ferrini-Mundy
President
University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias