Major donors retract support following anti-Israel protests and legal challenges over antisemitism
Harvard University experienced a significant drop in donations this year following multiple anti-Israel protests and antisemitism allegations.
Donations to the endowment took the largest hit, while “current use” donations actually increased according to The Harvard Crimson.
“The $151 million decline marks one of the most significant year-over-year drops in donations in the past decade,” the student newspaper reported. “The University saw its greatest reduction in contributions to the endowment, which dropped by $193 million. Current-use gifts, however, remained strong — increasing by $42 million compared to fiscal year 2023.”
In response to campus antisemitism, several of the university’s large donors “publicly severed ties” with the school, according to The Crimson.
The “decline marks one of the most significant year-over-year drops in donations in the past decade,” the Crimson reported.
“Some of the new commitments have been disappointing compared to past years,” Harvard President Alan Garber told the student newspaper.
However, he also said, “There are also some indications that [Harvard] will see improvements in the future.”
A wealthy conservative donor who has donated more than half a billion dollars to Harvard criticized the antisemitism on campus and said he would no longer financially support the school, worrying it had become “lost in the wilderness,” according to The Hill.
Ken Griffin, who in spring 2023 donated $300 million to Harvard, also condemned the school for producing “whiny snowflakes.”
“Until Harvard makes it very clear that they’re going to resume their role as educating young American men and women to be leaders, to be problem solvers, to take on difficult issues — I’m not interested in supporting the institution,” the billionaire donor said.
Len Blavatnik is also refusing to donate to the school. The billionaire’s family foundation has given Harvard at least $270 million.
Blavatnik is now sending his donations to a new “anti-woke” school in Texas, according to The New York Post.
Additionally, Harvard alum Bill Ackman said last year that former Harvard President Claudine Gay’s “failures have led to billions of dollars of canceled, paused and withdrawn donations to the university,” Fox Business reported.
“I am personally aware of more than a billion dollars of terminated donations from a small group of Harvard’s most generous Jewish and non-Jewish alumni,” he said.
The drop in donations comes amid multiple accusations of Harvard’s inadequate response to antisemitism on campus.
The school is currently facing a lawsuit arguing that Harvard has not sufficiently addressed antisemitic harassment on campus. In August, a judge ruled that the lawsuit can proceed, rejecting the university’s attempt to have the claims dismissed, The College Fix previously reported.
One month earlier, a U.S. House committee investigation concluded Harvard did not implement the recommendations of its own antisemitism taskforce on campus.
The school has also faced ongoing anti-Israel protests since the terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7 2023, and they show no signs of abating.
On Wednesday, two dozen Harvard faculty held a silent “study-in” protest at the campus library to protest the students disciplined for doing the same a month before, The Fix reported.
MORE: Harvard, Stanford, MIT get Fs for addressing antisemitism: report
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