Topline
The Trump administration said Monday it froze $2.2 billion in federal funding for Harvard University, making the announcement hours after the school said it would not accept an agreement with the Trump administration, which threatened Harvard over antisemitism allegations linked to its handling of pro-Palestinian protests on campus.
Harvard University is one of many colleges under investigation by the Trump administration for their … More
Key Facts
The Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism, which is made up of several federal agencies including the Justice Department and Education Department, announced a “freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value to Harvard University.”
The task force did not specify what programs the grants were related to.
“Neither Harvard nor any other private university can allow itself to be taken over by the federal government,” attorneys representing Harvard wrote in a letter to the Education Department before the funding was frozen.
Several agencies, including the Education Department, announced last month a review into $9 billion in government contracts and grants for Harvard to ensure the college was “in compliance with federal regulations,” including how Harvard handled alleged antisemitism on campus during a wave of pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses in the U.S.
The Trump administration sent a list of demands to Harvard on April 11, including requests for the college to make sweeping changes to its governance, admissions and hiring processes, as well as for Harvard to be monitored by administration officials.
Harvard will continue combatting antisemitism on campus, and the college “remains open to dialogue about what the university has done, and is planning to do, to improve the experience of every member of its community,” the attorneys representing Harvard wrote, adding Harvard was “not prepared” to meet demands that “go beyond the lawful authority of this or any administration.”
Harvard president Alan Garber, who said last month the college would cooperate with the review, claimed the latest demands “[go] beyond the power of the federal government” and violate Harvard’s First Amendment rights.
Garber argued, “No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach,” or who they admit and hire.
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Crucial Quote
“It makes clear the [Trump administration’s] intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner,” Garber wrote, arguing a “majority” of the White House demands “represent direct government regulation of the ‘intellectual conditions’ at Harvard.”
Chief Critic
Former President Barack Obama said he hoped other colleges “follow suit” while backing Harvard’s decision to reject “an unlawful and ham-handed attempt to stifle academic freedom, while taking concrete steps to make sure all students at Harvard can benefit from an environment of intellectual inquiry, rigorous debate and mutual respect.”
How Large Is Harvard’s Endowment?
Harvard’s endowment grew to $53.2 billion in its 2024 fiscal year after a 9.6% return on investments, according to the college’s latest financial report. Harvard has had the most endowment funds of any university in the U.S. for years, followed by Yale University and the University of Texas system, which reported endowments of $42 billion and $40 billion in 2021, respectively.
What Other Universities Are Under Review By The Trump Administration?
The Trump administration began a large-scale investigation into 60 colleges in March over antisemitism allegations. A letter from the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights warned the schools of “potential enforcement actions” if a review finds they violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act—a measure preventing universities from receiving federal funding if they discriminate based on race, color and nationality—for failing to protect Jewish students on campus. Columbia University, among the first five schools under investigation, had $400 million in federal grants and contracts canceled by the Trump administration, while some research contracts were frozen at Princeton, Cornell and Northwestern universities.
Key Background
The Trump administration formed a new multiagency task force earlier this year to investigate complaints of discrimination and harassment of Jewish students at U.S. colleges. This task force followed pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses last year that objected to Israel’s invasion of Gaza, as protesters broadly demanded their schools divest from businesses working with Israel and Israeli colleges, with the protests sometimes marred by instances of antisemitism. Last month, Education Secretary Linda McMahon accused Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students and “promoting divisive ideologies over free inquiry.” Garber has warned that Harvard losing federal funding would halt “life-saving research and imperil important scientific research and innovation.” In addition to targeting universities with funding reviews, the Trump administration has revoked visas, detained and sought to deport students linked to the protests. Among those detained is Columbia student Mahmoud Khalil, who was taken into custody in early March despite having a valid visa and being a permanent legal resident of the U.S., and a judge ruled last week Khalil could be deported.
Further Reading
Trump Administration Reviewing $9 Billion In Government Funding For Harvard (Forbes)
Trump Administration Investigates These 60 Colleges Over Antisemitism Allegations (Forbes)
