Provosts at nine leading universities have asked the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations to reconsider antiterrorism language they added this year to their grant agreements. The provosts say the provisions could infringe on academic freedom.

The foundations, which are major supporters of academic research and related activities, changed the grant agreements to ensure that their money would not filter down to terrorist groups.

The Ford Foundation's provision says that no one receiving its grants may "promote or engage in violence, terrorism, bigotry or the destruction of any state" or "make sub-grants to any entity that engages in these activities."

The Rockefeller policy is similar, saying that in accepting funds, recipients certify that they do "not directly or indirectly engage in, promote, or support other organizations or individuals who engage in or promote terrorist activity."

The provosts, however, said in letters sent last week that the new policies were too vague to enforce and that the policies could also lend themselves to interpretations that could be used against political or cultural activities, such as partisan lectures, films, and photographs.

"We all generally abhor violence and terrorism, but unless it's clearly defined, we can't monitor compliance with this policy," said Richard P. Saller, provost of the University of Chicago. "We feel strongly about it, but we're asking for a discussion, not a confrontation."

In addition to Chicago, the provosts represent the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and Yale Universities.

In the letter to the Ford Foundation, the provosts suggest that the policies could "create an unfortunate barrier to future cooperation between the Ford Foundation and universities that will be detrimental to both sides."

Representatives of the foundations said the provisions were meant to ensure that grants were being used for their intended purposes. But they also said foundation officials were willing to work with universities on their concerns.

"We share the values that are prized at universities, including academic freedom," said Alexander Wilde, the Ford Foundation's vice president for communications. "These are issues that we'll talk about, and we have every confidence that we'll allay any concerns that they have."

The Ford Foundation granted nearly $35-million to American institutions of higher education in 2003, while the Rockefeller Foundation gave an estimated $15-million.