My Friend Got Denied A Grant For His Event Idea. Someone Else From Another School Copied It And Got The Same Grant. What Should He Do?

My friend came up with a brilliant idea for an event that the school could host. I didn't work on the project myself, but I had a hand in helping a few things, and I thought we were definitely going to get the grant. Unfortunately, he came back with the news that we got denied for the grant.

That honesty wasn't the issue. Grant's get denied all the time, and our event was already getting traction. However, we come to find out that another project was given a grant, a project that had copied our exact same idea. Even the day and time it was being hosted was the same. The posters, words used, etc.

And we know for sure that it was copied because we know the people who were making it. My friend had previously reached out to them to collaborate but they rejected that proposal. I don't know the exact details of how our idea got out to others, but my friend thinks it's possible that the idea about the event got told to someone else after we applied for the grant? Location: [MA]

It sucks, but he says there is nothing we can do. But personally I am quite angry?

I asked him if he could sue or something over intellectual property. Like owning the IP for the posters, wording, domain, etc. I don't really know how this stuff works. He said that he doubt he could do that, and even if he could he wouldn't do it anyway.

I'm curious whether or not it's possible to sue over something like this? Whether it involves intellectual property or something else. Or maybe we send a complaint to the school itself?