The Trump administration is set to freeze more than half a billion dollars in federal funding for Brown University as part of its crackdown on universities that it says foster antisemitism, the Associated Press reported on Thursday.
Some $510 million in grants and contracts could be halted, making Brown the fourth Ivy League school that the administration has gone after for alleged Jew-hatred on campus following similar freezes at Columbia University and Princeton University, ina addition to a federal audit of $9 billion in federal grants and contracts at Harvard University.
The AP cited a White House official who “was not authorized to speak publicly about the plan and spoke on condition of anonymity,” and Frank Doyle, the provost at Brown, reportedly emailed campus leaders that he could not substantiate “troubling rumors” that the Trump administration intended to cut off federal funding. (JNS sought comment from the U.S. Education Department.)
Officials from Brown and leaders of its Jewish community, including the chancellor of Brown and the director of its Chabad chapter, issued a statement on Thursday denying that the university had fostered Jew-hatred on campus.
“Brown University is home to a vibrant Jewish community that continues to flourish with the steadfast support of the administration,” the open letter stated. “Amidst broader concerns about antisemitism on college campuses, Brown stands out as an inclusive environment where Jewish life is deeply integrated into campus culture.”
The statement notes that despite anti-Israel encampment protests in the spring of 2024, the Brown Corporation voted to defeat a resolution calling for divestment from Israel and its president, Christina Paxson, has supported Jewish students since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“The numerous signs outlined here paint a clear picture: Brown University is a place where Jewish life not only exists but thrives,” it continued. “While no school, including Brown, is perfect, this campus offers a welcoming environment where you can be a proud Jew.”
