Fred Hutch Cancer Center told staff on Thursday that it will dismantle its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs to comply with President Donald Trump’s anti-DEI executive order, according to an email obtained by The Stranger. 

In an email sent to all employees and affiliates, the cancer research center cited Executive Order 14173, which they said, “directs federal contractors and recipients of federal grants, such as Fred Hutch, to end diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs or lose their federal funding.” They announced that there will be “significant changes to DEI efforts at Fred Hutch in the coming days and weeks, including on our website and in our programs, policies, practices and educational opportunities.” When reached for comment, a spokesperson for Fred Hutch confirmed that the center had “made the difficult decision to change its DEI programs.” 

The letter positions Trump’s rejection of DEI programs as unavoidable, even though legal battles could still block this specific executive order. After acknowledging that there have been several legal challenges against the order, they wrote: “While we don’t know whether the lawsuits will be successful or if the order may be modified, what we do know is the current administration clearly intends to make ending DEI programs a condition of receiving federal funding.”  

Fred Hutch receives more than $400 million a year in federal funding—70 percent of its research portfolio, according to the email. Under the National Institutes of Health funding cuts—which are currently paused by a court order—the center told the Seattle Times it already stands to lose as much as $125 million.

The DEI program at Fred Hutch is currently run by Dr. Paul Buckley, and according to its 2023 report, operates a partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, programs to support students from underrepresented minorities, and a faculty development program. 

In their letter, the center tried to cast their decision as the best way to stay “on mission,” which, according to their website, is “to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease.” But this shift promises to undermine that mission. Women and people of color are significantly underrepresented in cancer research, and failing to address that will have real consequences for their health outcomes. 

This represents an enormous shift in the institution. Last October, before Trump’s election, Buckley had stated that while other institutions backed away from their DEI commitments—whether out of fear of political backlash or a reluctance to be held accountable—Fred Hutch would ”remain steadfast in advancing our DEI strategy in order to accelerate the mission of curing cancer through research and compassionate care.” He described DEI not as a corporate initiative, but as an “ethic of care,” a principle that ensures equitable access to healthcare, research, and workforce opportunities, especially as marginalized communities continue to experience stark disparities in health outcomes.

“Our determination is rooted in an honest recognition of our context as an American institution, a complex understanding of DEI history, purpose, and practice, and our obligation to an ethic of care,” he wrote before the election. “This is an individual and organizational effort, an initiative for mental, physical, and social well-being, a pursuit for all people. We leave no one out; we are in this together.”