Harvard Will Offer Students Funding to Mend Campus Divisions

The University launched a new grant to provide funding for student projects that seek to mend campus divisions and encourage civil discussions about controversial topics, Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 announced in an email on Monday.

The President’s Building Bridges Fund, which will be financed by the Office of the President, marks the University’s latest initiative as it seeks to implement some of the preliminary recommendations from the twin presidential task forces on combating antisemitism and anti-Israeli bias, and anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias.

The two task forces were initially announced in January amid criticism of the University’s handling of antisemitism and Islamophobia on campus following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. They released their preliminary findings in June which urged the University to counter a culture of discrimination against both pro-Palestine and pro-Israel students.

Some of the specific recommendations included auditing academic resources on the Middle East, creating a prayer space for Muslims on campus, and having a diverse set of leaders provide feedback on University statements prior to their release.

While protests have largely subsided at Harvard during the fall semester, tensions on campus have continued to linger. Garber’s new initiative comes as local law enforcement authorities investigate a string of vandalism and postering incidents around Harvard Square.

Earlier this month, the Harvard Undergraduate Palestine Solidarity Committee released a controversial statement on the anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks. Around the same time, an unknown individual broke two ground-floor windows in University Hall and splattered red paint on the John Harvard statue in an act of vandalism.

According to Garber’s emailed announcement, the President’s Building Bridges Fund will help Harvard to “build bridges across differences.”

“Our own community has the skills, creativity, and commitment to develop approaches that will help us heal and to expand opportunities for constructive engagement,” Garber wrote. “Grants will be awarded to selected projects that bring together diverse groups of students.”

Selected projects will receive a one-time grant of up to $5,000 to carry out their proposal.

According to the fund’s website, projects will be evaluated on the principles of “building relationships between affinity groups whose interests and views on important issues might diverge; investing in intellectual excellence; acting against discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate; and fostering constructive dialogue on campus about interfaith issues.”

Each proposal will be assessed by a review committee. If selected for funding, awardees will be asked to complete a brief report about the outcomes within 10 days of project completion.

“If you have an idea that speaks to these goals, I hope that you will consider putting it into action by applying for a Building Bridges grant,” Garber wrote.

Applications for a Building Bridges grant opened Monday and will close on Jan. 6, 2025.

—Staff writer Hiral M. Chavre can be reached at hiral.chavre@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Samuel A. Church can be reached at samuel.church@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @samuelachurch.