[Salon] Princeton Says Trump Administration Is Halting Research Grant Funding

Some donors threatened to pull support from universities last year over mounting pro-Palestinian protests. But private gifts are just one way schools are funded. Former Northwestern President Morton Schapiro breaks down the complex financials of higher education. Photo illustration: WSJ

At the University of Pennsylvania, the Trump administration paused about $175 million in federal funding because the school allowed a transgender athlete to compete on the women’s swimming team.

Princeton was one of 60 higher education institutions that were told last month by the Education Department that they were being investigated for alleged antisemitism and for not protecting Jewish students on campus.

Princeton’s Eisgruber said in his email that the university will comply with the law and that it is committed to fighting antisemitism and other forms of discrimination.

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

Eisgruber wrote in an essay last month in the Atlantic magazine that every American should be concerned about Trump’s attack on universities like Columbia.

“The United States is home to the best collection of research universities in the world. Those universities have contributed tremendously to America’s prosperity, health, and security,” he wrote. “The Trump administration’s recent attack on Columbia University puts all of that at risk.”

Write to Joseph Pisani at joseph.pisani@wsj.com

Corrections & Amplifications
Princeton was one of 60 schools the Department of Education said it was investigating for alleged antisemitism in March. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said the list was released in April. (Corrected on April 1)

Appeared in the April 2, 2025, print edition as 'Princeton Is Fourth Ivy League School To Be Targeted by the White House'.