The Trump administration has announced a freeze on $2.2 billion in multi-year grants and $60 million in multi-year contracts at Harvard University, following the university’s refusal to comply with the administration’s policy demands.
Harvard University rejected the administration’s demands for policy changes. The administration demanded the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, a ban on masks at campus protests, merit-based hiring and admissions reforms, and a reduction in the power of faculty and administrators. The administration also demanded “full cooperation” from Harvard with the Department of Homeland Security and federal regulators.
Harvard argued that the administration’s demands represent an overreach of federal authority and an infringement on academic freedom. The Harvard faculty chapter of the American Association of University Professors has filed a lawsuit against the administration.
Harvard University’s endowment was $53.2 billion in 2024. Columbia University also faced funding cuts prior to the Harvard situation.
The departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and the US General Services Administration are reviewing $8.7 billion in grants and over $255 million in contracts between Harvard and the federal government.
