Mining Colleges Get $180M Boost From Trump Administration

The Trump administration is investing $180 million into America’s mining colleges in an effort to revitalize the nation’s mining and mineral processing industry and reduce reliance on foreign competitors, like China.

The bulk of the grants—$100 million—will come from the Department of Energy as part of the Providing Opportunities for Specialized Education in Critical Technologies (PROSPECT) initiative. PROSPECT funds will be used to try to double the number of graduates with degrees related to mining, minerals and associated supply chain technologies within the next two years. The remaining $80 million will come from the Department of Defense and be used to “build technology innovation hubs.” 

The DOD money will go to the Colorado School of Mines, the South Dakota School of Mines and Johns Hopkins University. Universities will likely have to apply for the Energy Department’s funding.

“A strong domestic mining and minerals workforce is essential to powering America’s future, strengthening our national security, and ending our dependence on foreign adversaries for the materials that underpin modern energy, manufacturing, and defense,” Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in a news release. “Through the PROSPECT initiative, the Department is investing in the next generation of American engineers, scientists, and skilled workers who will help unleash American energy and ensure the United States remains the world’s leading energy powerhouse.”

In April 2025, President Trump signed an executive order that aimed to “encourage and support our nation’s coal industry to increase our energy supply, lower electricity costs, stabilize our grid, create high-paying jobs, support burgeoning industries, and assist our allies.” 

The Department of Energy estimates that the U.S. will need approximately 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade. But there are only 14 accredited mining institutions that enrolled 590 total undergraduate students in spring 2023, down from a total of 1,449 in 2015, according to the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. At a Friday announcement, Trump said the number is even lower at 170 coal-mining graduates a year; that’s compared to more than 3,000 a year in China.

“That’s why my administration is making an unprecedented financial commitment to our nation’s mining schools,” he said.