Brown has become the fifth Ivy League school to have federal funding targeted over anti-Semitism concerns.
The Trump administration is preparing to halt approximately $510 million in federal contracts and grants awarded to Brown University as it reviews the institution’s handling of anti-Semitism, a White House official said on Thursday.
This would make Brown the fifth Ivy League school targeted by the administration’s use of federal funding to address its concerns over anti-Semitism at colleges.
The White House confirmed that initial reports on the halting of the grants, which cited an official talking on the condition of anonymity, were correct. The Daily Caller quoted the official as saying that blocking the funds was also related to the university’s potential Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion policies.
Brown University Provost Frank Doyle emailed campus leaders on Thursday, noting the university was aware of “troubling rumors” about government action affecting its research funding, but stated, “At this moment, we have no information to substantiate any of these rumors.”
During last year’s campus Israel-Hamas war protests, Brown University reached an agreement with pro-Palestinian student activists. In exchange for dismantling a protestor encampment, the university agreed to have its governing board vote on whether to divest from companies that protesters claimed were facilitating Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories. The Corporation of Brown in the end rejected the divestment proposal.
The move to block funds at Brown University follows similar actions against other prestigious institutions. Columbia University was the first targeted, losing $400 million in federal money with threats of additional terminations if it failed to improve campus safety for Jewish students. The University of Pennsylvania had approximately $175 million in federal funding suspended over issues related to a transgender swimmer.
Earlier this week, a federal anti-Semitism task force announced it was reviewing almost $9 billion in federal grants and contracts at Harvard University amid an investigation into campus anti-Semitism. Princeton University also reported that the administration had halted dozens of its research grants.
By Rudy Blalock
