The US education department has frozen $2.3 billion in federal funds for Harvard University, as announced on Monday. This comes after the Ivy League school decided to resist the White House’s demands to combat antisemitism and address alleged civil rights violations, including shutting down diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The education department claims that Harvard’s stance reflects an entitlement mindset prevalent in prestigious universities, where federal investment is seen as unrelated to the responsibility of upholding civil rights laws. The frozen funds include $2.2 billion in grants and $60 million in multi-year contract value for Harvard. The administration has called for broad government and leadership reforms, requiring Harvard to adopt merit-based admissions and hiring policies, conduct a diversity audit, and ban face masks, which is seen as targeting pro-Palestinian protesters. The letter from the administration also pressures the university to stop recognizing or funding student groups that endorse or promote criminal activity, and demands cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Harvard’s president, Alan Garber, has stated that the university will not cave to the Trump administration’s demands and argues that the government’s actions are political. The demands have prompted alumni to call for Harvard to legally contest and refuse to

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/14/trump-harvard-funding-freeze