The U.S. Department of Education heralded the one-time $495 million shot in the arm for HBCUs and an additional $108 million for tribal colleges as a strong show of the administrations strong support for HBCUs. The move comes days after the agency abruptly terminated grants for Hispanic-serving institutions (HSIs) and other minority-serving colleges (MSIs), declaring such programs “unconstitutional” due to race-based eligibility criteria.
Funding shifts ignite backlash
Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended the administration’s approach, stating the department had “carefully scrutinized federal grants to ensure taxpayers are not funding racially discriminatory programs.” The redirected funds, she said, would “advance educational outcomes for all Americans.”
But the decision to dismantle longstanding MSI grants—which supported teacher preparation, gifted education, and HSIs—to finance the HBCU and tribal college increases has deepened tensions within the minority-serving institution community. Critics accuse the administration of pitting marginalized groups against one another while undermining broader equity efforts.
“This is a godsend for HBCUs, but it’s tainted,” said Lodriguez Murray of the United Negro College Fund, which advocates for private HBCUs. “You can’t celebrate progress for some while dismantling pathways for others.”
Mixed reactions and political undertones
While HBCU leaders welcomed the influx, experts noted the funding arrives amid the administration’s broader crackdown on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives at predominantly white institutions. Marybeth Gasman, executive director of Rutgers University’s Center for Minority Serving Institutions, called the redistribution “spiteful,” arguing it sows division among institutions that have historically collaborated on advocacy.
“The framing here is purposeful: They want you to believe helping HBCUs requires harming Hispanic-serving colleges,” Gasman said. “But there’s enough pie for everyone. This is political theater, not policy.”
Dominique Baker, a University of Delaware education policy scholar, questioned the administration’s motives. “This lets them claim they hold no racial animus while resegregating higher education,” she said. “Funding HBCUs doesn’t erase their assaults on DEI.”
Legal gray areas
The department justified the cuts by invoking “existing flexibilities” to reprogram funds within discretionary grant accounts. Amanda Fuchs Miller, a former Biden administration higher education official, acknowledged such authority exists under statute but accused the Trump team of abusing it to bypass Congressional intent.
“Congress authorized these MSI programs because they’re vital,” Miller said. “Repurposing their funds to score political points is a dangerous overreach.”
Broader implications
The funding shuffle underscores the administration’s contentious relationship with minority communities. HBCUs and tribal colleges, which lack racial enrollment thresholds, escaped the legal scrutiny applied to HSIs. Yet the move has left some HBCU advocates uneasy.
“We’re grateful, but we can’t ignore the collateral damage,” said a president of a private HBCU, speaking anonymously to avoid political blowback. “Our survival shouldn’t come at the expense of sister institutions.”
The announcement also includes $60 million for charter schools and $137 million for civics education grants, priorities aligned with the administration’s conservative education agenda.
A fragile victory
For HBCUs, the funding offers temporary relief after decades of systemic underinvestment. Many face crumbling infrastructure, stagnant faculty salaries, and enrollment declines exacerbated by the 2023 Supreme Court ruling gutting race-conscious admissions.
Yet the victory is fragile. Legal challenges to the MSI cuts are expected, and advocates warn the one-time infusion does little to address long-term sustainability.
As the fiscal year ends Sept. 30, institutions now scramble to allocate unexpected resources—even as the political storm around them grows louder.