In a decision sending shockwaves through Black higher education, the U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday it will end $350 million in discretionary funding for programs supporting Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs)—including Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
Education Secretary Linda McMahon framed the move as a stand against “discrimination,” claiming the grants violate federal law by prioritizing schools with large numbers of students of color.
“Discrimination based upon race or ethnicity has no place in the United States. To further our commitment to ending discrimination in all forms across federally supported programs, the Department will no longer award Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas.”
– Linda McMahon, Education Secretary
“Discrimination based on race or ethnicity has no place in the United States,” McMahon said, arguing that diversity should not be defined by race and promising to “re-envision these programs” without what she called government-mandated quotas.
But for Black educators and community advocates, this latest policy shift echoes a long history of federal backtracking on promises to institutions born out of systemic exclusion. HBCUs and other MSIs were created because Black, Latino, and Indigenous students were locked out of predominantly white institutions. Funding for these schools isn’t about “quotas,” they argue—it’s about repairing generations of denied opportunity and ensuring equitable access today.
The Department hasn’t revealed where the funds will be redirected. It is also “reviewing” mandatory funding streams dedicated to these institutions, signaling that even guaranteed dollars could be at risk.
Why It Matters
For Houston-area schools and HBCUs across the country, these grants are lifelines—supporting scholarships, faculty development, and programs that help first-generation and under-resourced students succeed. The cuts threaten to widen racial disparities in higher education outcomes and economic mobility.
Community leaders and education advocates are expected to push back, calling on Congress and the public to challenge the framing of equity programs as “discrimination.” As one HBCU advocate put it: “This isn’t about quotas. It’s about justice and survival.”