A graduate of Princeton University is calling on his fellow alumni to make up for the research grants slashed by the Trump administration.

Patrick Ho, who graduated in 2008, is looking to collect $210 million as part of the annual Giving Campaign to make up for the lost federal funds.

It’s called the Princeton Freedom Fund.

It’s a request to alumni to donate $2,100. If 100,000 alums were to donate the$210 million, the research money would be restored.

The message to alumni explains that a donation would "support the university's efforts to resist unlawful intimidation and alleviate the impact on students and researchers."

“At the end of the day, these are important things that are going on here. And I think trying to cut it for political reasons can be something that’s reckless, so we’ve got to keep it going,” said Astor Lu, a Princeton student.

“I think it’s a great idea. I think it’s making really good use of the powerful, generous kind of network that we have," says fellow student Connor Brown.

On April 30, 2024, 13 Princeton students were arrested for taking part in a pro-Palestinian protest and encampment.

Because some viewed that as antisemitic, the university is paying the price and losing funding.

Princeton was told in April by the Department of Energy, NASA and the Department of Defense that it would be losing grants, similar to Columbia, Harvard and Penn.

The Freedom Fund has currently raised $33,900, with 43 donations.

The effort ends on June 30, the end of the yearly giving campaign.