Trump is slashing billions from Harvard. Here's a breakdown of the federal funding that's been lost.

Boston Globe

28-05-2025

Trump officials have said they're cutting Harvard off from federal money because they allege the university has allowed antisemitism to flourish on campus amid
A student protester against the war in Gaza walks past tents and banners in an encampment in Harvard Yard, at Harvard University in Cambridge on April 25, 2024.
Ben Curtis/Associated Press
Advertisement
In a move to exert pressure over Harvard, Trump administration officials on April 11
Harvard
The university has
Advertisement
Harvard President Alan Garber has responded by saying the Trump administration is focusing on antisemitism and discrimination to try to justify an unlawful attack on academic freedom and day-to-day operations at a university that has few peers worldwide.
'These actions have stark real-life consequences for patients, students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the standing of American higher education in the world,' Garber said in a widely cited
Archon Fung, professor at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, addresses students, faculty, and members of the Harvard University community on Thursday, April 17, 2025, in Cambridge.
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
Harvard
Here's a refresher on how much money the Trump administration has slashed from Harvard, including when the cuts happened.
February: NIH 'indirect costs' cap
On Feb. 7, just a couple of weeks into Trump's second term, officials at the National Institutes of Health announced they would
For decades, NIH grant recipients could get reimbursed for a predetermined percentage of the so-called indirect costs tied to research, like administrative and facility expenses not directly tied to scientific goals.
Andrew G. Nixon, a spokesperson for the US Department of Health and Human Services, said the cuts to indirect reimbursement costs would
At Harvard, the NIH previously reimbursed
Advertisement
After the Feb. 7 announcement, NIH indirect cost reimbursements were capped at 15 percent, representing a loss of tens of millions of dollars across Harvard.
Here's a breakdown, according to an
$33.8 million at Harvard Medical School
$13.1 million at Harvard University
$12.7 million at Harvard School of Public Health
A demonstrator holds a sing in Harvard Square after a rally was held against President Donald Trump's attacks on Harvard University.
JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images
March: $9 billion under 'review'
On March 29, the Trump administration announced it would
hospitals, in an effort to 'root out antisemitism,' according to the government's antisemitism task force.
The announcement came 10 days after the task force secured
Local hospitals that could be affected by Harvard's funding review include
April: Billions in NIH cuts
By far the biggest blow to Harvard's federal funding came on April 14, when the NIH announced it was
The freeze came the same day that
'Harvard is committed to fighting antisemitism and other forms of bigotry in its community. Antisemitism and discrimination of any kind not only are abhorrent and antithetical to Harvard's values but also threaten its academic mission,' lawyers told the Trump administration in an
In its lawsuit over the funding, Harvard said they began receiving stop work orders in the immediate aftermath of the federal government's April 14 announcement. The university also said what the Trump administration characterized as a funding 'freeze' amounted to a termination of funds.
Advertisement
'The effect is the same. Under whatever name, the Government has ceased the flow of funds to Harvard as part of its pressure campaign to force Harvard to submit to the Government's control over its academic programs,' Harvard officials wrote in their
The combined $2.26 billion in lost NIH grants and contracts is roughly 80 percent of the more than $2.8 billion of federal money that's been announced axed by the Trump administration at Harvard, including the most recent cuts in May.
April 20: Plan to freeze 'additional $1 billion'
On April 20, the
Garber and other Harvard officials referenced the potential freeze of an additional $1 billion in funding in their
'A threat such as this to a university's academic freedom strikes an equal blow to the research conducted and resulting advancements made on its campus,' the lawsuit said.
May 5: Trump halts all new grants
On May 5, the Trump administration told Harvard that the university would receive
Education Secretary Linda McMahon notified Garber of the consequences in
The university 'should no longer seek GRANTS from the federal government, since none will be provided,' McMahon wrote.
Advertisement
Mid-May: More federal agencies cut grants
On May 13, Harvard updated its lawsuit to include another
Harvard said in its filing that the terminated grants had come from
May 27: Trump tells feds to cancel Harvard contracts
On Tuesday, the US General Services Administration, which oversees federal contracts, told all federal agencies to
The letter appears to be an attempt to sever any remaining business relationships between Harvard and the government.
The affected contracts include a Department of Defense contract for management training and a Health and Human Services contract for research on energy drinks, the Globe reported.
Claire Thornton can be reached at