Can Harvard’s Alumni Shield It From Trump’s Impact?

Some Harvard alumni are Supreme Court justices. Others include former presidents, business tycoons, renowned actors, and top-tier lawyers.

With nearly half a million graduates, Harvard University boasts one of the most influential and affluent alumni networks in the United States. Their donations to the university total hundreds of millions of dollars each year.

Since President Donald Trump began targeting the Ivy League institution as part of a broader effort to reform American colleges, Harvard has found itself in unprecedented need of both public and financial support from its alumni.

In mid-April, the Trump administration froze billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard, alleging that the university had violated civil rights laws by failing to adequately address antisemitism on campus.

By early May, Trump escalated his pressure by threatening to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status—a move that could cost the school hundreds of millions of dollars. Shortly thereafter, the Department of Homeland Security suspended Harvard’s ability to enroll international students, many of whom contribute significantly through tuition and research. A federal judge has since issued an indefinite pause on that suspension.

These federal actions have forced one of the wealthiest academic institutions globally to seriously consider deep budget cuts for the first time. Harvard’s president, Alan Garber—who is Jewish and has publicly committed to combating antisemitism—voluntarily took a 25% pay reduction. The university also secured a $750 million loan, a fraction of the over $2.2 billion in frozen federal funds.

Amid this upheaval, Harvard’s alumni community has mobilized. Donations surged after Garber vowed to legally challenge the Trump administration. Within 48 hours of Harvard filing its initial lawsuit, nearly 4,000 gifts totaling $1.14 million poured in, according to the Harvard Crimson.

Still, experts caution that alumni donations alone may not bridge the massive financial gap left by the loss of federal support. Allison Wu, a Harvard Business School graduate and cofounder of the alumni group 1636 Forum, noted that while donations in the hundreds of millions are not uncommon at Harvard, the university has never received a gift as large as the funding it now seeks to replace.

“No one has ever given at that level to Harvard,” Wu said.

Thousands of Harvard Alumni Unite to Defend Academic Freedom

The vast reach of Harvard’s alumni network was on full display during a recent virtual gathering of thousands of former students.

The meeting featured prominent graduates such as Maura Healey, governor of Massachusetts, and Antonio Delgado, lieutenant governor of New York. Organized by Crimson Courage—a newly formed, nonpartisan alumni group dedicated to protecting academic freedom at Harvard—the event aimed to mobilize support against federal attacks on the university.

During Harvard’s 374th Commencement on May 29, undergraduate students celebrated their achievements amid growing tensions over the university’s challenges.

Lisa Paige, one of Crimson Courage’s organizers and a 1980 graduate, revealed that alumni are actively working on drafting a friend-of-the-court brief to support one of Harvard’s lawsuits against the Trump administration.

“Harvard alumni are certainly not aligned on every cause,” Paige said. “However, we have come together across our differences to fight for a common cause, which is academic freedom.”