START is now at a critical inflection point, perhaps the most precarious in our 20-year history. Over the last 50 days, federal funding for research on terrorism and targeted violence, as well as other critical topics related to START’s mission, has been decimated. Virtually all grants and cooperative agreements funding basic research into the causes and consequences of terrorism and targeted violence have been terminated, and solicitations for proposals for new awards have been suspended or pulled from competition. START has had millions of dollars in grants terminated since mid-March, accounting for approximately 40% of our annual budget.
Since START opened our doors in 2005, and over the last 20 years, we have prided ourselves on providing rigorous, impartial data and analysis to our federal partners, state and local governments, law enforcement, civil society organizations, the media, and the public. We’ve worked with administrations and members of Congress from both sides of the aisle, under presidents of both parties.
We’ve also worked with hundreds of researchers around the country and around the world, with funded partnerships with approximately 100 different organizations, including universities, civil society organizations, think tanks, and small and large businesses. And thousands of students have participated in our curricular and experiential education programs.
START’s work has been foundational to the understanding of terrorism. By providing our data and research products to researchers, teachers, and students, we have also galvanized the broader study of terrorism. We have viewed our work as a public good, and as such have not put our data or research behind paywalls. However, now we are forced to rethink our entire model, given the shift in federal funding priorities. And we must do so quickly if we are to keep our doors open.
START is exploring an expanded model of support based on private philanthropy and commercialization to sustain our work. This is a difficult decision, but if the federal government is stepping back from funding data collection and analysis related to terrorism and targeted violence, we will have to seek support from other sources, including through charging fees for data. We are specifically exploring subscription-based models and will actively try to keep costs for subscribers low.
To make this transition, given the abrupt nature of the grant terminations, we are eagerly asking donors to help us stabilize by contributing to an immediate infusion of funds, as we build out this business model and grow a paid subscriber base. To this end, we are actively seeking small-dollar and large-dollar donations to START’s account with the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. We are also identifying potential foundation and commercial partners, and START will continue to seek federal funding in areas where it is still available.
The generosity of donors and friends of START and of the University of Maryland has bolstered our research, our capabilities, and our students’ experiences in the past, and we welcome your partnership to help START weather this storm and build a stronger future. Thank you for considering supporting START at this mission-critical time.
Sincerely,
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Amy Pate, Ph.D
Acting Director & Executive Director