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President Alan M. Garber has announced the availability of funding through the recently established President’s Building Bridges Fund. Under this new initiative, students are invited to submit proposals for projects that embody the spirit of diverse student groups coming together to build bridges across differences.
Inspired by the preliminary recommendations of both the Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and Anti-Israeli Bias and the Presidential Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias, grant funds may be used to support projects along one or several of the following lines:
– Building relationships between affinity groups whose interests and views on important issues might diverge
– Investing in intellectual excellence
– Acting against discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hate
– Fostering constructive dialogue on campus about interfaith issues, intercultural issues, or some combination of the two
“This new source of support, funded through my office, offers Harvard students an opportunity to deliver projects that build bridges across differences,” said Garber. “Our own community has the skills, creativity, and commitment to develop approaches that will help us heal and to expand opportunities for constructive engagement.”
The President’s Building Bridges Fund was established as a result of the preliminary recommendations of both task forces. Those recommendations emphasized the need to provide more opportunities for building community across campus and highlighted the importance of engaging in thoughtful and constructive dialogue.
“The preliminary recommendations were clear that building relationships and understanding between students with diverse backgrounds and identities must be a priority for our university,” said Peggy Newell, vice president and deputy to the president. “This grant program allows students to take the lead and initiate programs that will resonate with their fellow students.”
Projects may take many different forms. Students may imagine events and activities that will be meaningful to themselves and to their fellow students. All projects should be focused on building community across different faiths, cultures, and backgrounds.
“Our listening sessions clearly indicated that most students, regardless of their political views, long for respectful, informed, and inclusive conversations with their classmates,” said Derek Penslar, co-chair of the Task Force on Combating Antisemitism and William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. “The best chance for those conversations to take place and succeed is if they are peer-initiated and peer-led.”
“During our listening sessions with students, we learned the importance of acknowledging the diverse experiences of all communities,” said Wafaie Fawzi, co-chair of the Task Force on Combating Anti-Muslim, Anti-Arab, and Anti-Palestinian Bias and Richard Saltonstall Professor of Population Sciences and professor of nutrition, epidemiology, and global health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “This initiative provides students with the opportunity to design and lead activities that promote understanding of the challenges we face and build cohesion within and across affinity groups, ultimately striving for a truly inclusive campus environment.”
Teams will be awarded up to $5,000 per project. Applications should be submitted by Jan. 6, 2025. Details: President’s Building Bridges Fund webpage.
