Harvard Business School (HBS) has quietly discontinued its $25 million Racial Equity Action Plan, a major initiative launched in 2020 to address diversity issues. The plan's dedicated website has been taken down, and school officials have provided limited information about the decision or the future of the funds.
Key Takeaways
- Harvard Business School's $25 million Racial Equity Action Plan, started in 2020, has been shuttered.
- The plan's website now redirects to a new Office of Community and Culture, which was renamed from the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
- HBS officials have declined to specify how much of the $25 million was spent or how remaining funds will be used.
- The decision aligns with a broader trend at Harvard of moving away from race-specific language in its diversity initiatives.
The Discontinuation of a Major Initiative
In September 2020, Harvard Business School announced its Racial Equity Action Plan with a significant commitment of $25 million over ten years. The plan was a direct response to longstanding concerns about the underrepresentation of Black students and faculty at the institution. At the time, only 5 percent of HBS case studies featured Black protagonists.
However, nearly four years later, the initiative has been effectively terminated. The official website for the plan has been removed, now redirecting visitors to the homepage for the school's Office of Community and Culture. This office itself underwent a name change in August, shifting from its previous title, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
The school has been reluctant to provide clear details about the plan's conclusion. A spokesperson for HBS, Mark Cautela, declined to answer a detailed list of questions regarding the program's status, its funding, and whether its original goals would be pursued through other means.
A Shift in Strategy and Language
The change at HBS reflects a wider institutional shift at Harvard University, which has been moving away from explicit mentions of race and diversity in its programs and materials. This comes amid increasing political and legal scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at universities across the country.
In an interview published by the HBS press office in August, Chief Community and Culture Officer Terrill L. Drake addressed the future of the plan's goals. He suggested a move toward a broader, more inclusive approach.
"Any initiative that’s designed only for one group inevitably leads others to ask about how the School can recognize and support them. We want to maintain the true spirit of the Racial Equity Action Plan, but also broaden it so that everyone across the community sees how the OCC supports who they are and what they bring to the School."
Drake stated the school would "continue to incorporate the intention behind the plan in our efforts," but did not provide specifics on a new initiative, its funding, or its leadership structure.
Broader Context: DEI Under Scrutiny
The changes at Harvard are not happening in a vacuum. Universities nationwide are re-evaluating their DEI initiatives in response to legal challenges and political pressure. This trend has accelerated following the Supreme Court's 2023 decision on affirmative action in college admissions.
Assessing the Plan's Impact
When it was launched, the Racial Equity Action Plan had ambitious goals. It aimed to increase the recruitment of underrepresented minority faculty, diversify curriculum content, and better educate students on promoting racial equity in the business world.
Faculty and Staff Representation
Data from the plan's archived website shows limited progress in faculty diversity. Between 2020 and 2025, the percentage of Black faculty at HBS remained between three and five percent. Similarly, the percentage of Black staff members stayed in the four to five percent range during the same period. It remains unclear if the hiring of minority faculty saw any significant increase under the plan.
Curriculum and Case Studies
One of the plan's key objectives was to increase representation in its world-renowned case studies. The percentage of Black protagonists in these cases rose from 5 percent in 2020 to 8 percent in 2023. However, in 2024, that figure dropped sharply to just 2 percent, falling below the level it was at when the plan was initiated.
Case Study Protagonists
- 2020: 5% Black protagonists
- 2023: 8% Black protagonists
- 2024: 2% Black protagonists
The Fate of Associated Programs and Partnerships
The action plan also created several fellowships and established partnerships with external organizations. The future of these programs is now uncertain.
The BiGS Fellowship was created to host visiting scholars studying race, diversity, and inequality, supporting 13 scholars over three years. Another program, the RISE fellowship, provided $20,000 grants to students for their service to "marginalized communities of color." The language for the RISE fellowship has since been altered to focus on service to "under-resourced communities." While the websites for both fellowships remain active, HBS has not confirmed if they will continue.
The school also partnered with external groups:
- OneTen Initiative: This coalition was founded to help hire or promote one million Black workers over ten years. The initiative has since shifted its mission to focus on creating mobility for "skilled talent without four-year degrees." HBS has not commented on the current status of this partnership.
- The PhD Project: HBS pledged to increase support for this nonprofit, which aims to create pipelines for minority students into business academia. The organization has recently faced criticism from anti-DEI campaigns, leading some universities to sever ties. The status of Harvard's involvement is unknown.
Unanswered Questions and Lack of Transparency
The discontinuation of the Racial Equity Action Plan leaves many critical questions unanswered. Harvard Business School has declined to provide clarity on several key points, creating an information vacuum around the high-profile initiative.
Key unanswered questions include:
- How much of the initial $25 million commitment was spent before the plan was ended?
- Were additional funds raised from donors, and if so, how will those contributions be reallocated?
- Will the school continue to pursue the specific, measurable goals outlined in the original plan?
- What is the name, structure, and budget of the "broader initiative" mentioned by Terrill Drake?
The plan was overseen by a Board of Advisors that included prominent business leaders like former American Express CEO Kenneth I. Chenault and former Merck CEO Kenneth C. Frazier. Both also serve on the board of the OneTen initiative. Requests for comment to board members were not returned. The lack of communication from both the school and its advisory board has made it difficult to assess the final outcomes of the multi-million dollar plan.