Who actually founded Harvard University?

Harvard University is often associated with John Harvard because he donated half his estate and his library to the newly created college, and that generous act led to the school being named in his honor. However, John Harvard was not technically the founder of Harvard.

The origins trace back to the Massachusetts Bay Colony’s Great and General Court (essentially the colonial legislature), which authorized the creation of a "college" in 1636 to train clergy and promote education in the New World. This makes the founders a collective group of Puritan leaders and the government of the colony. The college was established in Newtowne (later renamed Cambridge), and the main motivation was to ensure an educated ministry and leadership for the colony, as well as to prevent an "illiterate ministry," which was a real concern among Puritan settlers.

John Harvard came into the picture in 1638 when he bequeathed around 400 books and half his financial estate to the struggling new college after his death, which was a transformative contribution for the school’s early survival and growth. A good example from colonial records is the official vote in 1636 to allocate funds for the college: "The Court agreed to give £400 towards a school or college, whereof £200 to be paid the next year and £200 when the work is finished."

So, you could say Harvard was founded by a group—Puritan officials and settlers—with John Harvard as its first major benefactor. For your project, it’ll be accurate to note that John Harvard is the namesake and a key early contributor, but not the sole founder. The school's establishment was really a community and government effort to support the kind of leadership the colony needed.

If you need further examples or resources, Harvard's official history page goes into more detail, too.