Trump administration freezes dozens of research grants to Princeton

The Trump administration has suspended dozens of research grants to Princeton University, the latest elite institution to absorb a hit to its federal funding as the government mounts a full-court press against antisemitism in academia.

Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber said Tuesday that he was informed this week about the suspensions by multiple government agencies, including the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and NASA.

“The full rationale for this action is not yet clear, but I want to be clear about the principles that will guide our response,” Mr. Eisgruber said in a community email. “Princeton University will comply with the law. We are committed to fighting antisemitism and all forms of discrimination, and we will cooperate with the government in combating antisemitism.”

He did not mention how much in research funding has been affected, but the Daily Caller said an administration official pegged the amount at $210 million.

Princeton becomes the third Ivy League university to face a federal funding freeze over its handling of the anti-Israel protests that engulfed U.S. campuses after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre of Israeli civilians.

The Joint Task Force on Anti-Semitism, a multi-agency group that includes the Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services, said Monday it has halted nearly $9 billion in research grants and contracts to Harvard University pending the outcome of a review.

Last month, the administration canceled $400 million in contracts and grants with Columbia University following a review of its response to campus antisemitism.

Mr. Eisgruber said that his office has begun “reaching out to affected faculty, academic researchers, and grants managers.”

“Princeton will also vigorously defend academic freedom and the due process rights of this University,” he said.

Princeton has been under investigation by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights since April 2024, under former President Biden, for potential violations of Title VI, which forbids discrimination based on shared ancestry, including Jewish ancestry.

Zachary Marschall, editor of the conservative publication Campus Reform, filed a federal complaint against Princeton in January 2024, saying the university did little to combat antisemitism as pro-Palestinian protests broke out following the Israeli counterattack on Hamas.

The demonstrations included calls for “intifada,” a reference to armed uprisings against Israel.

“The violent words of these protesters completely disregard the atrocities Hamas has already committed and promises to commit in the future against the people of Israel, including raping, murdering, and kidnapping civilians,” said Mr. Marschall, as per Campus Reform.

— Campus Reform (@campusreform) April 2, 2025

More than 150 universities, colleges and school districts are now under federal investigation for possible Title VI violations, according to a March 25 tally by the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.

While Princeton has garnered less attention over its anti-Israel activism than Harvard or Columbia, Mr. Eisgruber has been outspoken in defending universities over what he called the “attack on academic freedom” under President Trump.

In a March 19 article for The Atlantic, Mr. Eisgruber condemned the administration’s decision to pull research funding from Columbia as “the greatest threat to American universities since the Red Scare of the 1950s. Every American should be concerned.”

The Association of American Universities, which Mr. Eisgruber chairs, urged the administration to investigate charges of antisemitism without canceling federal funding to universities, warning that it would hobble U.S. innovation as China and other nations double down on research investment.

“The withdrawal of research funding for reasons unrelated to research sets a dangerous and counterproductive precedent,” said the association in a Monday statement.