University of Washington Medicine is preparing for a potential wave of COVID-19 patients to hit emergency rooms in the coming weeks. For that reason, they’ve asked people and labs to donate supplies.

Shelly Carpenter works in an oceanography at the University of Washington and was helping organize donations to UW Medicine.

She said a lot of labs doing basic science "use things like latex gloves, masks, protective goggles or face shields, and disposable gowns."

Then Carpenter got word that the donations could violate federal rules.

"I sent the note around and we started getting people donating things, and we got a notice from our admin. that it’s against NSF (National Science Foundation) policy to donate anything from a grant that’s been paid by NSF," she said.

Reached for comment, the National Science Foundation said such donations are "expressly prohibited."