University Finances
Grad Union Stands to Make More Than $1 Million in Annual Dues if Agency Shop Proposal Passes
When Harvard removed more than 900 students from the graduate student union’s bargaining unit in July, the union lost not just 450 official members, but $20,000 in monthly union fees.
HHS Takes Steps Toward Revoking Harvard’s Access to Federal Grants and Contracts
The Trump administration launched proceedings on Monday that could bar Harvard from doing business with the federal government, opening a new front in its escalating fight with the University just weeks after a federal judge ordered $2.7 billion in frozen research funding restored.
Penny Pritzker Says She Has ‘Absolutely No Idea’ How Trump Talks Will Conclude
Harvard Corporation senior fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 said on Sunday that the Trump administration had pushed for a $500 million settlement to resolve its six-month standoff with the University — but cast doubt on whether Harvard was considering the sum.
6 Months Behind Schedule, Harvard Endowment’s Annual Climate Report Is Nowhere to be Seen
Harvard Management Company has not published its annual climate report six months after its expected release, and officials won’t say whether Harvard will continue providing annual updates on its progress in achieving net-zero endowment emissions by 2050.
Education Department Puts Harvard Under Financial Monitoring, Saying Federal Investigations Create Risk
The Education Department put Harvard under heightened financial oversight on Friday, saying its finances are unstable as a result of the Trump administration’s own penalties.
Harvard Medical School to Cut 20 Percent of Research Spending, Dean Says in Annual Address
Harvard Medical School Dean George Q. Daley ’82 said the University’s central administration had instructed him to cut spending on the Medical School’s research enterprise by at least 20 percent by the end of the fiscal year in his annual State of the School address Wednesday morning.
Beyond the Lab: Trump’s Funding Cuts Hit Humanities Research at Harvard
A database with pigment analysis of more than 300 Asian paintings. The authoritative dictionary of the Latin language, curated since the 1890s and spanning 1,200 years of inscriptions. A library of translated Ukrainian literature, launched just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Memorial Church Reduces Programming Amid University Budget Cuts
Memorial Church will limit its student programs and public events as a result of University-wide budget cuts, according to Memorial Church Pusey Minister Matthew Ichihashi Potts.
Harvard’s Austerity Measures Put Library Renovations on Hold
Harvard has paused plans to renovate four University libraries ahead of its 400th anniversary in 2036 as part of a temporary halt to capital projects amid an ongoing fight with the White House over federal funding.
Center for Latin American Studies To Close Chile, Mexico Offices
Harvard’s David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies will close its office in Santiago, Chile at the end of this year and allow its office lease in Mexico City to expire this month because of a strained budget.
Federal Agencies Begin Notifying Harvard Researchers of Reinstated Funds
Federal agencies have begun to inform Harvard researchers that they are reinstating portions of research funding frozen since the Trump administration’s pause on $2.7 billion in grants and contracts in the spring, according to a Harvard spokesperson on Wednesday evening.
Harvard Funding Cuts Endanger the Massive Fruit Fly Database That Powers Genetic Research
FlyBase lost a multimillion dollar grant when the Trump administration cut off Harvard’s federal funding in May. Now the repository is laying off staff — and researchers worldwide are worried.
After Court Restores Research Funding, Trump Still Has Paths to Target Harvard
Harvard won a milestone legal victory on Wednesday when a judge struck down the Trump administration’s freeze on $2.7 billion in federal funds — but government agencies still have options to keep federal dollars out of the University’s hands.
Harvard Docks Course Assistant Pay, Cuts Back on Undergraduate Hiring
Harvard College cut course assistant pay in some departments by $2 and has begun reducing teaching assistant positions for undergraduates amid University-wide budget cuts.
Harvard Covers Hillel’s Security Expenses for Year
The University will cover the costs of Harvard Hillel’s security measures this year amid a national surge in antisemitism and under pressure from the White House, which repeatedly accuses Harvard of failing to protect Jewish students.
Harvard Arts and Humanities Division Implements $1.95 Million Cut Amid University’s Budget Crunch
Harvard’s Arts and Humanities division instructed department heads to collectively reduce their budgets for non-personnel spending by roughly $1.95 million as divisions across the Faculty of Arts and Sciences implement cost-cutting plans.
Harvard’s Endowment Goes Big on Bitcoin and Gold in Second Quarter of 2025
Harvard Management Company made substantial new investments in exchange-traded funds tracking the value of gold and Bitcoin during the second quarter of 2025, marking a sharp shift in its directly held public equities portfolio after it backed out of many Big Tech positions last quarter.
Harvard Spends Record-High $270,000 on Lobbying in Second Quarter of 2025
Harvard spent $270,000 lobbying the federal government between April and June as it ramped up efforts to counter mounting political and financial pressures from Washington, according to disclosures filed last month.
Harvard Pays $90K to Trump-Linked Lobbying Firm in Second Quarter of 2025
Harvard paid lobbying firm Ballard Partners $90,000 in the second quarter of 2025 as the University broadened its federal advocacy to include direct engagement with the White House, according to a disclosure filed Tuesday.
HMS Announces Spike in Donations, $18 Million Pledge from Blavatnik as Trump Drains Research Funding
Harvard Medical School has pulled in a raft of donations and a major gift from billionaire Leonard V. Blavatnik, who froze contributions in 2023 amid outcry over campus antisemitism, as the school faces steep federal funding cuts, its dean announced Thursday.
DOGE Instructions and a White House Deadline: How the Government Canceled Harvard’s Grants
More than 2,000 pages of court documents present a new window into the government’s process for terminating research grants to Harvard — and show that the Department of Government Efficiency helped facilitate the operation.
Harvard Officials Say Federal Actions Could Cost the University $1 Billion Annually
Harvard President Alan M. Garber ’76 warned Monday that the combined financial impact of sweeping federal policy changes — including research funding cuts and a sharp increase in the tax on endowment income — could cost the University up to $1 billion annually.
Trump Signs Spending Package Into Law, Imposing 8% Tax on Harvard’s Endowment Income
President Donald Trump signed into law a sweeping tax and spending package that significantly raises the federal excise tax on Harvard’s endowment income on Friday — a move that could cost the University more than $200 million a year.
Harvard Kennedy School To Lay Off Staff Amid Federal Funding Cuts, Endowment Tax Threats
The Harvard Kennedy School is laying off employees and implementing a slew of cost-cutting measures in response to “significant financial challenges” inflicted by the Trump administration, the school’s dean announced in an email to faculty and staff on Wednesday.
Senate Finance Committee Proposal for 8% Endowment Tax Could Cost Harvard $200 Million Per Year
The Senate Finance Committee released proposed changes to the House’s tax and spending bill that would introduce an 8 percent tax on large endowments. Down from the 21 percent rate passed by the House, the proposal would still be a sixfold hike from the 1.4 percent Harvard currently pays.