Billionaire philanthropist Les Wexner gave Harvard University more than $142 million from December 1989 through September 2024, about $100 million more than previously reported, according to records reviewed by The Harvard Crimson, a student publication.
The university’s internal database shows that Wexner’s contributions included $1.5 million for the Wexner Israel Fellowship between December 2023 and September 2024, as well as $35 million for the Leslie and Abigail Wexner Family Building at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Prior to the Crimson report, the Ivy League school had publicly disclosed that Wexner and his wife had given more than $42 million to the university, primarily to support programs at the Kennedy School.
The revelations come after the Wexner Foundation announced in October 2023 that it was ending its 34-year relationship with Harvard, due to the “dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists.”
The $1.5 million credited to the Wexner Israel Fellowship after the foundation’s announcement appears to have fulfilled commitments made before the split, according to the Crimson.
