The Donations
Epstein donated approximately $6.5 million to Harvard’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics (PED), led by mathematical biologist Martin Nowak. The core donation came in 2003, before his criminal conviction.
Access and Status
In exchange, Epstein received: a private office on the Harvard campus, visiting faculty/affiliated researcher status, and access to academic events, faculty networks, and students.
Donations After Conviction
Harvard faced particular criticism because Epstein’s access continued after his 2008 state conviction and sex offender registration. Internal review found faculty maintained relationships with Epstein post-conviction without appropriate scrutiny.
The 2019 Fallout
Following Epstein’s 2019 arrest, an internal Harvard investigation concluded but was not fully published. Harvard did not return Epstein’s donations (already spent on research), instead committing an equivalent amount to organizations supporting abuse survivors.