Northwestern University agreed to a $75 million payment and a set of policy changes to restore roughly $790 million in federal research funding that the Trump administration had frozen. The university revoked a prior agreement with pro‑Palestinian protesters, committed to campus antisemitism trainings, and accepted new admissions and hiring reporting requirements as part of the deal. Interim Northwestern leadership framed the settlement as necessary to avoid prolonged litigation and to preserve laboratories and research continuity. Critics—including faculty and civil‑liberties advocates—contend the concessions undermine academic freedom and set a precedent for linking federal research access to political conditions. Several other campuses have reached similar settlements; others, like Harvard, have chosen litigation instead. Research offices and sponsored‑programs teams should prepare for closer federal scrutiny of institutional policies and new data deliverables tied to grant restoration agreements.