The Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery Initiative will offer annual funding up to $350,000 for long-term projects and $25,000 for smaller projects that address systemic inequities for descendants of slavery. The program will give grants for projects co-led by Harvard affiliates, including alumni and university-affiliated hospital staff, and nonprofits. Projects would be preferably based in Cambridge and Boston. Funding for the inaugural class will begin in July 2024.
“The grant program is structured so that this work benefits from meaningful partnerships and expertise from outside the university community,” explains Sara Bleich, vice provost for special projects. “Harvard can’t do this work alone, and we are eager through this funding opportunity to have partners who can help us identify where this work can have the greatest impact.”
“We want to fund projects that lead to innovative solutions that address gaps in education, the racial wealth gap, health disparities, and criminal justice reform. These issues disproportionately impact descendant communities,” said Roeshana Moore-Evans, the executive director of the Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery initiative.
