Trump cuts millions in grants for predominantly Black institutions, diverts funds to HBCUs

The Trump administration has diverted hundreds of millions of dollars away from Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), which include predominantly Black institutions (PBIs) of higher learning, to increase funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).

While the move is seemingly great for HBCUs, MSI-designated colleges and universities that educate millions of Black, Hispanic, Asian and Native Americans will lose critical funding.

Last week, Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that the Department of Education was cutting $350 million in grants to MSIs, citing that they “meet racial or ethnic quotas.” The Trump administration has federally banned all programs it considers to be diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and has threatened to withhold any federal dollars for schools that do not comply with anti-DEI executive orders signed by President Donald Trump.

The Trump administration has essentially argued, but not explicitly, that programs that show preference to Black, Latino, or other minority groups are discriminatory because they exclude white Americans.

“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States,” Secretary McMahon said in announcing the cuts to MSIs. “Diversity is not merely the presence of a skin color. Stereotyping an individual based on immutable characteristics diminishes the full picture of that person’s life and contributions, including their character, resiliency, and merit.”

The Education Secretary said the department would work with Congress to “reenvision” these programs to “support institutions that serve underprepared or under-resourced students without relying on race quotas and will continue fighting to ensure that students are judged as individuals, not prejudged by their membership of a racial group.” 

“There are a lot of students who attend PBI’s because they are typically more affordable, at least in terms of our larger HBCUs, but also because they are more localized,” says Ameshia Cross, a Democratic strategist.

Predominantly Black Institutions, or PBIs, are colleges or universities with a Black population of at least 50% of at least 1,000 undergraduate students. Examples of PBIs include CUNY Medgar Evers College, CUNY York College, Chicago State University, Auburn University at Montgomery, and Clayton State University. PBIs, like Hispanic-Serving Institutions and other Minority-Serving Institutions, receive grants authorized by Congress for financial assistance.

Cross explained to theGrio, “Let’s say you’re a student in Chicago and the state of Illinois doesn’t have any HBCUs—most of the North doesn’t—for students who are going to stay close to home, for students who want in-state tuition, for students who cannot afford some of your HBCUs or can’t take out those student loans, a PBI…those are the schools that will be at the highest risk.”

The political and education expert said MSIs and PBIs will lose funding for things like laboratory research equipment and infrastructure.

“We know that a lot of university buildings are unfortunately falling apart; dilapidated classrooms, student services, tutoring, and all those things will not be available due to these cuts,” said Cross.

Days after the DOE announced its cuts to MSIs, the Trump administration announced that it was redirecting nearly $500 million in federal funding toward HBCUs and tribal colleges. This comes months after President Trump vowed that he would not cut funding for HBCUs despite his anti-DEI agenda and aim to cut what his administration deems federal government waste.

Trump’s budget proposal earlier this year proposed $64 million cuts to Howard University, the nation’s only federally chartered historically Black college and university. The university’s president, Ben Vinson III, announced his departure months later in August, without citing a reason.

The Education Department said the new discretionary funding would be a one-time 48% increase for HBCUs, reports CNN. President Trump has long touted his support for HBCUs, though critics often point out that the $250 million a year for HBCUs during his first term was a result of Congress and not the White House. President Joe Biden, during his term in office, invested a record $17 billion toward HBCUs.

In April, Trump signed an executive order acknowledging the academic contributions of HBCUs. It also established an annual White House summit, an advisory board, and other support for HBCUs.

Dr. Andrea Abrams, executive director of the Defending American Values Coalition, said the $350 million cuts to minority-serving institutions are “yet another example of this administration’s disregard for people of color.”

“Ending decades-old programs that ensure communities of all backgrounds have access to higher education is profoundly unfair and spiteful — it’s rooted in the belief that marginalized communities do not deserve equitable and accessible pathways to success,” said Abrams, who said the Trump White House has “worked tirelessly to strategically dismantle key educational pathways that ensure millions of Americans have the opportunity to get ahead.”

Other actions, like working to dismantle the Department of Education and cutting federal funding to public schools that support DEI, are designed to “restore barriers to the American Dream, and ensure that power and privilege remain concentrated in the hands of a select few,” she said.

“These efforts, combined with the threats of violence to HBCU campuses across the country, are a direct assault on the generations of students, educators, and communities who have fought to ensure that access to a quality education is available to all,” said Abrams.

“We will not allow fear to dictate who can learn, lead, or thrive. All students, no matter their background or zip code, deserve to live in a nation where the education they receive reflects the fullness of their humanity.”