Maintaining trust in uncertain times: Funding pauses and the ethical cost to community-engaged research

Federal funding pauses, once considered rare, are increasingly disrupting the stability and continuity of community-engaged research. Even projects with active, awarded grants are experiencing the strain of funding uncertainty, raising substantive concerns among research teams and community partners. These disruptions extend beyond operational delays; they jeopardize the continuity of relationships developed through sustained, collaborative engagement. In the absence of clear information about a project's future, uncertainty undermines trust and challenges the ethical principles that guide human subjects research, particularly beneficence and justice. This paper draws on direct experience and insights from the broader field to examine the practical and ethical implications of funding instability in community-engaged research contexts. It further outlines structural recommendations to mitigate harm, including the establishment of bridge funding mechanisms, the integration of pause-contingency planning into grant proposals, and enhanced transparency from funding agencies. Institutional review boards and oversight entities may consider developing clear guidance for maintaining ethical obligations during funding disruptions. Research continuity must be recognized not as a procedural convenience, but as a foundational element of ethical research practice. Upholding the core values of community-engaged research necessitates systems explicitly designed to promote stability, accountability, and sustained partnership, even amid an increasingly unpredictable funding environment.