Johns Hopkins University plans to tap the power of its $13.2 billion endowment to help fill some of the gaps left by a major drop in federal research funding, officials said Monday.

Hopkins leaders say they cannot tap much of the university’s endowment because the funds are designated to specific priorities by donors or must be preserved. But the stop-gap grant funding will come, in part, from earnings generated by the endowment to sustain what the university considers critical research.

“It’s a common misconception that universities can simply “use the endowment” in moments like this," the university said. “The reality is that most of our endowment is made up of legally restricted funds designated by donors for specific purposes. The principal of the endowment must legally be preserved in perpetuity — to support Johns Hopkins’ mission now and for future generations — and cannot be drawn down like a reserve fund.

“That said, we are using flexible resources — some of which are tied to endowment earnings — to help sustain critical research in this moment of uncertainty,” Hopkins said Monday.

Officials did not say how much they expect to dedicate to the grants in total, but that there would be a limited, targeted program administered on a rolling basis.

The effort aims to help preserve research, as well as protect researchers, trainees and staff, at risk from the cuts.

So far, officials report the university has lost more than 100 federal research grants. Many other projects are experiencing delays in renewals, awards or reviews as the Trump administration targets research that officials say doesn’t align with their priorities or is too costly.

Officials have said half the university’s revenue comes from federal research funding. Hopkins is among the nation’s biggest recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, for example, which it uses to pursue cures for cancer and other diseases, as well the science that underpins that work.

It also receives funding from other federal agencies, such as the defense and energy departments.

Hopkins leaders have said that funding cuts have been massive. Much of the cuts to research, mostly in Baltimore, and foreign humanitarian aid programs, mostly global, could approach $1 billion.

“We are deeply committed to sustaining the people and projects that power discovery at Johns Hopkins,” Hopkins President Ron Daniels and Provost Ray Jayawardhana wrote in a message to faculty and students Monday.

“These investments, and our intensive ongoing planning and advocacy, reflect our firm commitment to preserving the essential work of both basic and applied discovery, to continuing to honor our core values as America’s first research university, especially academic freedom, and to protecting our people, particularly those whose work and livelihoods are dependent upon federal support.”

There will be three new grant programs open to faculty and students so they can continue working on their research. The individual amounts would be for no more than $100,000 for delayed grants or $150,000 for terminated grants during a 12-month period, according to the school.

Two more programs will be extended. One offers editorial support for grant proposals and journal articles. The other gives undergraduate students the chance to work with Hopkins mentors on original research or projects.

There will be a briefing on the research funding landscape and details on the programs soon, officials said.