ED Redirects $235M in MSI Funds to HBCUs, Tribal Colleges

The Education Department announced Tuesday that it is sending more than $174 million to historically Black colleges and universities and $61 million to tribal colleges. It says the “one-time” investments come from programs that generally funded Hispanic-serving and other minority-serving institutions—the same way it provided a similar boost to HBCUs and tribal colleges last year.

Last September, ED abruptly canceled grants for most minority-serving institutions, saying those programs were unconstitutionally discriminatory because they require colleges to enroll a certain percentage of students from a particular racial or ethnic background to qualify. ED then redirected $495 million to HBCUs and tribal colleges. In December, the Justice Department backed up ED’s legal interpretation.

On Tuesday, ED told Inside Higher Ed that it has urged Congress to fix the constitutional issues, and for now it has worked with the White House Office of Management and Budget to identify legal options for the funds. Congress blocked the department from defunding the MSI programs entirely, but it allowed the agency to move the money into the Strengthening Institutions Program.

This year, the money for HBCUs is from a grant program for Hispanic-serving institutions aimed at boosting the number of Hispanic and low-income students in the STEM fields and developing model transfer and articulation agreements between two- and four-year institutions in such fields, the Education Department said. Tribal colleges are getting about $14.4 million from the STEM program.

The other $47.2 million for tribal colleges is from a different batch of programs aimed at strengthening Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian–serving institutions; Asian American– and Native American Pacific Islander–serving institutions; and Native American–serving nontribal institutions.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said Tuesday in a news release that “for nearly 200 years, HBCUs have been engines of opportunity in communities, advancing critical innovations and uplifting local industries across the nation. This new investment will help ensure these vital institutions have the resources they need to continue delivering world-class education and to prepare students for success in a rapidly evolving economy.”

Moriah O’Brien, vice president of congressional and federal relations at the American Indian Higher Education Consortium, said, “We don’t advocate to take money away from anyone else,” but repeatedly expressed gratitude for the added funds for tribal colleges. She said they “can be a catalyst for incredible things.”

Tribal colleges and universities are underfunded, lack large donor networks and often don’t have on-campus housing, she said, and many students take classes in repurposed portable buildings.

“This represents so much promise and possibility, and giving the TCUs the opportunity to build on the one-time increase they had last year means a tremendous amount,” O’Brien said.

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which represents public HBCUs, welcomed the extra funding with “sincere gratitude” in a news release.

“Today’s announcement builds upon that track record of support for our historically Black Colleges and universities that President Trump has demonstrated since the start of his first term in 2017,” said TMCF President and CEO Harry L. Williams. “This result would not have been possible without a commitment from HBCU advocates to work in a bipartisan manner to communicate the value of our institutions to all elected and appointed leaders. We applaud the Trump administration for doubling down on their investments into HBCUs as we build the workforce and develop the leaders that will solidify our nation’s global competitiveness for decades to come.”