Harvard University rejects Trump administration’s proposed conditions for federal funding

Harvard University said Monday it will not accept an agreement proposed by the Trump administration for continued federal funding, saying “the university will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.” 

On March 31, the administration said it was reviewing about $9 billion in grants and contracts with the Ivy League institution in Cambridge, Massachusetts “to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities.” The Education Department is investigating alleged antisemitic incidents on college campuses, and President Trump has threatened to pull funding from universities that allow what he says are “illegal protests.”

A letter sent to Harvard on April 11 outlined a series of conditions Harvard needed to meet to maintain a “financial relationship” with the federal government. The demands included leadership reforms, an immediate halt to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, an audit of “viewpoint diversity” among students and faculty, and “meaningful discipline” for students who violated school policies when a pro-Palestinian tent encampment went up on Harvard Yard. 

In March, the Trump administration announced it would be canceling $400 million in grants and contracts to Columbia University, alleging school had “continued inaction in the face of persistent harassment of Jewish students.”  

Harvard response to Trump administration

Harvard president Alan Garber said the school has taken several steps to address antisemitism and “we plan to do much more.” But he said Harvard will not accept the proposed agreement that “goes beyond the power of the federal government.”

“The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights,” Garber said in a statement. 

Garber said federally funded research at Harvard has led to breakthroughs in the medical, engineering and scientific fields.  

“For the government to retreat from these partnerships now risks not only the health and well-being of millions of individuals, but also the economic security and vitality of our nation,” he said.

Harvard said in March it would be freezing hiring, citing “substantial financial uncertainties driven by rapidly shifting federal policies.” The university said in 2024 that it received $686 million from the federal government, the largest source of support for research.