Celebrating 100 years of the Harvard College Fund
A century of giving forward — 100 years of the Harvard College Fund, in photos
One hundred years ago, 33 Harvard College alumni asked their classmates a simple question: would you give something — anything — to support students, now and for the future?
The answer came back 3,261 times over. Their collective generosity laid the foundation of the Harvard College Fund, and in 1926, no one in that first small circle of donors could have pictured what the century ahead would hold.
They couldn't have imagined the buildings that would rise, the discoveries scholars would make, or the hundreds of thousands of alumni, families, and friends who would one day rally behind the same mission. They simply believed in the endurance of Harvard's academic excellence and in the students who would come next.
The photographs below are a walk back through that century from the Harvard University Archives and yearbook collections. Though campus may now look a bit different, its core mission is unchanged.
The place that endures
Some things a 1926 donor would recognize. The Yard still fills and empties with the semesters, and Harvard Square still hums a few steps beyond the gates. These are the constants — the backdrop for everything the Harvard College Fund makes possible inside them.
Photobook
THEN — 1960. Brick paths, elms, and freshmen found their way through the arches. Archive: View of Harvard Yard, 1960.
NOW — c. 2026. Sixty years later and bustling with students, the Yard is still where a Harvard education begins. Photo by Megan Martinez ‘28.
THEN — 1986. The storefronts have turned over a dozen times since, but the corner is unmistakable. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications, Views of Harvard Square, 1986.
NOW — c. 2026. Harvard Square continues to evolve, and is still an iconic location for all Harvard students to pass through. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
In the classroom
The Harvard College Fund helps support the everyday heart of the College — teaching, new courses, and the General Education program that shapes how undergraduates think across disciplines. The rooms and curriculum have modernized, but the passion for learning and discovery inside remains the same.
Photobook
THEN — 1986. Notebooks, not laptops. The lecture is the same ritual today's students would recognize in a heartbeat. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications, Harvard and Radcliffe Students in Class, 1986.
NOW — c. 2025. Classrooms are still packed with students eager to learn, and also now hold a variety of other events outside of class, including the annual Midyear Graduation ceremony.
THEN — c. 1960s. Emerson Hall — home to philosophy since 1905 — emptying out between classes. Archive: "after class in Emerson."
NOW — c. 2026. Emerson now features renovated areas to allow for flexible learning spaces.
Where discovery happens
In 1926, Harvard scientists could scarcely have dreamed of the machines and laboratories to come. Support for faculty, research space, and equipment has always been central to the Harvard College Fund.
Photobook
THEN — c. Mid-1900s. During courses and inside the Harvard labs, experimentation and curiosity thrived. Archive: Radcliffe College Archives.
NOW — c. 2026. These values still exist in Harvard’s labs, transforming into discovery in major fields. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
THEN — c. 1977. Students studied and worked on assignments in computer labs. Archive: Radcliffe College Archives.
NOW — c. 2026. With the advancement of technology, students now work from anywhere on campus using their personal laptops. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
THEN — c. Mid-1900s. Undergraduates used a computation lab for research projects in social sciences, statistics, and more.
NOW — c. 2026. Lab work has become more streamlined across campus, but its hands-on collaboration remains the same. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
Home on campus
The House system is where the College becomes a community — and House life has been transformed in ways that Harvard College Fund founders never anticipated. In 1926, women were educated separately at Radcliffe. In 1971, the Houses went co-ed. Every year since, the House communities and traditions have continued to strengthen and grow. The Harvard College Fund supports the residential life that binds every generation of students together.
Photobook
THEN — 1987. One of the River Houses, and long a hub of the College's artistic life. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications, Group Portrait of Harvard and Radcliffe Students Outside Adams House, 1987.
NOW — c. 2026. A recently renovated Adams House has retained and enhanced all the things students love.
THEN — 1987. Out in the Radcliffe Quadrangle — once women-only housing, by then fully part of a co-ed College. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications, Student Life at Currier House, 1987.
NOW — c. 2026. Currier House still features many fun opportunities for students to connect. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
Life beyond the classroom
A Harvard education has never been confined to lecture halls. From the field, to the stage, to the practice room, this is the texture of college life the community sustains — the memories alumni carry longest.
Photobook
THEN — 1987. The Harvard University Band in full voice. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications, Harvard University Band, 1987.
NOW — 2000s. The Harvard University Band is a beloved group on campus, lifting spirits and showing Harvard pride at some of the biggest events of the year, including sporting games and Commencement.
THEN — 1977. A dance group in the Eliot House studio (dancer Susan Manning, recto) — one of the first co-ed cohorts making the Houses their own. Archive: Dance Group at Radcliffe and Harvard Colleges, 1977.
NOW — c. 2026. Eliot House studio is still used for artistic expression on campus, such as for the members of the Harvard Dance Team, shown here. Photo by Megan Martinez '28.
THEN — 1969. "The Game" dates to 1875 — and for the last century, the Harvard College Fund has supported beloved traditions and excellence across playing fields. Archive: Harvard-Yale, November 22, 1969, Harvard football.
NOW — c. 2023. Harvard continues its tradition of athletic excellence with 42 varsity teams. Photo by Harvard Athletics.
Milestones and the wider community
Across a century, this community has gathered to mark its proudest moments — to welcome the world in and give what they learned back to the world. These moments are powered by the same intergenerational generosity that started in 1926.
Photobook
THEN — 1986. A trio of friends ready to make a difference beyond the Yard. Archive: Harvard Yearbook Publications.
NOW — 2025. Commencement remains one of the happiest days on campus, where students, friends, and families celebrate everyone’s Harvard journey.
To the next 100 years
In 1926, 33 alums believed in students they would never meet. That belief has compounded and transformed into immense impact for today.
Financial aid has expanded so that each Harvard College student can graduate debt-free.
Harvard scientists went from displaying an early programmable computer in the Science Center lobby to running one of the world's leading quantum research programs, the Harvard Quantum Initiative, launched in 2018.
Students launch companies in the Life Lab, participate in public service through programs such as SPARK, and learn by building in makerspaces and active-learning labs that the Class of 1926 could never have pictured.
To learn more about the Harvard College Fund’s 100th anniversary and get involved in its next century of giving, visit https://alumni.harvard.edu/college/college-giving/hcf.
