Harvard joins colleges moving to self-fund some research to offset federal funding cuts

WASHINGTON – Harvard University is putting up $250 million of its own money to continue research efforts amid a federal funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration, but the school’s president warns of “difficult decisions and sacrifices” to come.

The university joins a growing number of colleges moving to self-fund research as a way to compensate for at least some of the money lost to federal funding cuts.

Johns Hopkins University has started offering grants of up to $150,000 a year to faculty facing “unexpected federal research funding disruptions.” Northwestern University said it’s covering the cost of research projects that received stop-work orders from the federal government in April.

In a campus message Wednesday, Harvard President Alan Garber laid out a plan to maintain some research operations affected by the university’s loss of more than $2.6 billion in grants. Harvard has been fighting the government in court over the cuts.

Harvard’s plan will redirect $250 million as an initial stopgap for the coming year while officials explore other options, Garber wrote. He called it a transition period for critical research programs, noting the Ivy League school “cannot absorb the entire cost of the suspended or canceled federal funds.”

In light of the school’s financial challenges, Garber will take a voluntary 25% pay cut during the upcoming fiscal year, a Harvard spokesperson said. Garber’s current salary has not been made public, but Harvard presidents in the past have earned more than $1 million annually, the Harvard Crimson student newspaper reported.

The oldest and wealthiest university in the nation, Harvard has been hit hardest by the Trump administration’s use of federal funding cuts for political leverage. Harvard is the first school to openly defy the White House’s demands to overhaul campus policies around protests, admissions, hiring and more.

The Trump administration frames it as an effort to root out antisemitism on campus. In a series of escalating sanctions, the government has said Harvard is no longer eligible to receive new research grants until it negotiates an end to the impasse. Trump has said he wants to strip the university of its tax-exempt status.

Garber’s message did not indicate where it will pull the $250 million from.

Harvard has a $53 billion endowment and draws about 5% of its annual investment earnings to help cover campus operations. The school could increase that drawdown, but much of the endowment is made up of restricted funding that can only be used for purposes designated by donors. Last month, the school separately made plans to borrow $750 million.

To make up for the loss in federal funding, Education Secretary Linda McMahon this month suggested Harvard rely on “its colossal endowment” and raise money from wealthy alumni.

In his message, Garber said the sanctions have stopped lifesaving research and in some cases lost years of work. He said the university is committed to supporting its researchers.

“While there will undoubtedly be difficult decisions and sacrifices ahead, we know that, together, we will chart a path forward to sustain and advance Harvard’s vital research mission,” Garber wrote in his message.

The Trump administration’s pressure campaign is forcing budget cuts on some campuses. Columbia University said it will be laying off nearly 180 employees as a result of the federal government’s $400 million in cuts at the school.

Earlier Wednesday, dozens of higher education organizations issued a joint statement against the Trump administration’s attacks on prestigious universities, calling on the government to “reforge” its ties with academia.

The statement from more than 50 groups said the nation suffers when research grants are “held hostage for political reasons and without due process.” It said all Americans benefit from the technology and medical advances produced through the government’s partnership with colleges.

The groups implore the government to respect colleges’ autonomy over their campuses. The signers include the American Council on Education, which represents hundreds of university presidents.

___ Collin Binkley has covered Harvard for nearly a decade — most of the time living half a mile from its campus.

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