Dear PBHA community,

We write to you in an unprecedented moment of organizational need. Your continued support allows us to remain student-led and to meet critical community needs. Our current context makes this more important than ever. Earlier this week, in response to Harvard University President Alan Garber’s announcement that the university would not accept the Trump administration’s demands, the administration announced that it would freeze $2.2 billion of funding to the university.

At this difficult moment, we appreciate Harvard University for upholding values that protect academic freedom and the rights of members of our community. We acknowledge there is still work to do to reach that ideal and remain committed to doing so together.

Around half of PBHA’s $5.5 million budget currently comes from or is managed by Harvard, including $1.45 million from in-kind, grant, and unrestricted support from Harvard that funds mission critical operations including program expenses, staff salaries, and student stipends.

We recognize that Harvard will have to make difficult fiscal decisions in the coming weeks to stand by their commitment to academic freedom, and while the long-term future of funding implications for PBHA is unclear, we anticipate that there will be financial cuts across the board. Along with the risk of losing up to $400,000 of government funding directly to PBHA, this could impact our ability to run mission-critical programming.

We remain steadfast in continuing to support our students, communities and partners; and we are asking for your help to do so. To facilitate this, PBHA has set up an emergency fund.

While the need is still evolving, some of the areas we are expecting to need immediate funding include:

• Summer college student service stipends

• Trainings and SUP camper transportation

• Programming staff salaries

• Funding for the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter and Y2Y Harvard Square

DONATE TO PBHA’S EMERGENCY FUND

Click above to donate. You can also mail a check to Phillips Brooks House Association, 1 Harvard Yard, Cambridge, MA 02138, and contact louise@pbha.org with any donation questions.

While the future may be uncertain, PBHA’s officers, directors, staff, and volunteers are still here serving our communities every day and are still committed to do so. In our 121st year, term-time programs are going strong, and we are planning for a full Summer Urban Program (SUP) with 650+ campers, and 200+ college and high school staff across 10 programs. In fact, we can’t wait to celebrate SUP at the 22nd Annual SUP Auction this Friday!

We are so thankful to have such a committed network of alumni and supporters who know how important this work is. Your ongoing support of PBHA continues to remain essential to our students and communities. We would be so grateful if you could go above and beyond your regular giving during this difficult time to support PBHA now and into the future.

If you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reply to this email or contact us at pbha@pbha.org.

Thank you for your support during this time,