Leadership Now Project Files Amicus Briefs Defending Academic Freedom and U.S. Competitiveness in Harvard Research Funding Appeals
Leadership Now Project is asking a federal appeals court to stop the Trump administration from abruptly and unconstitutionally cancelling billions in federal research funding at Harvard — a case that is about far more than one university. In twin amicus curiae briefs filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, Leadership Now warns that the administration’s freeze and cancellation of billions in federal research dollars doesn’t just violate the First Amendment — it’s actively weakening the research base American businesses depend on to innovate and compete globally. Leadership Now’s briefs argue that the administration’s actions are both unconstitutional and economically damaging, undermining the institutional independence that has made American universities engines of U.S. innovation and global competitiveness.
“When the government cuts off funding essential to a robust university research environment, it isn’t just Harvard that pays the price — it’s the next generation of scientific talent, American innovation, and our long-term economic strength,” says Daniella Ballou-Aares, Founder and CEO of Leadership Now. “These actions put us on a path toward economic stagnation and leave the American public far worse off. That’s why we’re standing up for the rule of law and for the research ecosystem that has made America a global leader.”
The briefs argue that the Administration’s actions harm the business community and the broader economy by:
Undermining U.S. competitiveness. The federal government has funded more than half of all R&D conducted at U.S. universities since 2011, fueling a symbiotic relationship between university research and private-sector innovation that has made the United States a global leader in science, technology, engineering and medicine. Cutting off that funding jeopardizes America’s long-term economic strength, and rival nations are already capitalizing on the disruption.
“Every company I’ve worked with depends on the talent pipeline cultivated at university research labs. It’s not about Harvard. When you cut that funding, you’re cutting off the scientists and engineers American businesses will need to compete for decades to come,” says Leadership Now member Jeff Raikes, former Microsoft executive and Co-Founder, Raikes Foundation.
As the briefs note:
“In direct response to the Administration’s actions, the European Research Council has seen the number of U.S.-based applicants for early-career grants rise nearly threefold, from 60 in 2024, to 116 in 2025, to 169 in 2026.”
The briefs also warn that the cuts are already shrinking the pipeline of American scientific talent that U.S. businesses depend on to hire and innovate, noting that both MIT and Duke have cut PhD admissions in biology by 20 percent amid the funding uncertainty.
Violating the First Amendment. By attempting to seize control of university governance, hiring, and admissions as a condition of restoring research funding, the government has violated both the First Amendment and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which strictly limits how and when the federal government may terminate a university’s funding:
“Title VI established in statute a core principle of American governance enshrined in the First Amendment, which prohibits the federal government from conditioning its benefits on content-based requirements that encroach on private universities’ academic freedom of expression.”
The government bypassed Title VI’s required procedures — notice, an opportunity to comply, a hearing with express findings, and a report to Congress — before slashing hundreds of Harvard’s research contracts. And the stakes go well beyond one university: research shows that academic freedom is directly correlated with higher-quality, higher-volume scientific output.
As the briefs put it:
“The government’s actions here, in addition to violating Harvard’s rights, fundamentally threaten the academic freedom that has enabled universities to help make the U.S. a dominant technological and scientific force for decades. The American economy, the businesses that rely upon the system of federally funded research, and the American people as a whole will suffer harm as a result.”
Leadership Now’s briefs, submitted by Covington & Burling LLP, build on the brief filed at the district court level in June 2025 urging the court to block the funding freeze. The District Court ultimately ruled in favor of Harvard and the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) plaintiffs, and the government has appealed those rulings to the First Circuit; Leadership Now’s new briefs urge the appeals court to affirm.
Read the full amicus brief in Harvard v. HHS (No. 25-2230) here.
Read the full amicus brief in AAUP v. DOJ (No. 25-2231) here.