WASHINGTON – The Trump administration says it will reallocate nearly $500 million in additional funding to historically Black colleges and universities and tribal campuses, as it slashes grant programs for other minority students.
The Department of Education announced the plans Sept. 15 as part of its effort to redirect money toward President Donald Trump's chief priorities. The Department also plans to award $500 million in grants to charter schools and will invest more than $160 million in American history and civics education programs. In its announcement, the agency cited a Sept. 9 report showing declines in K-12 student achievement as a cause for the additional charter school grants.
"Today, the Department is making three massive investments – redirecting financial support away from ineffective and discriminatory programs toward those which support student success," U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
The move comes days after the administration said it is withholding more than $350 million in grants to Minority-Serving Institutions, including colleges and universities that serve large populations of Hispanic students, arguing that awarding grants based on racial and ethnic enrollment is unconstitutional. The cuts targeted grants for institutions serving Alaska and Hawaiian natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic and Black students.
