Trump administration calls minority grant funding “racially discriminatory,” redirects money to charter schools
The Trump administration announced Monday it would redirect funding for minority-serving institutions into U.S. charter schools to support school choice.
The Department of Education said following the release of the 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores last week, which “showed dismal educational outcomes across the nation,” the department is shifting funding to “advance President Trump’s priorities.”
Testing data released last week revealed that, overall, students’ scores were lower in 12th grade math and reading and 8th grade science than the last time students were tested in 2019.
In May, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced that the department planned to increase charter school funding by $60 million for fiscal year 2025, raising the program’s total budget to $500 million.
The additional funding announced Monday comes from discretionary grant programs the Trump administration ended funding for last week, including Hispanic-serving institutions (HSI) and other minority-serving institutions, arguing the programs were “racially discriminatory” because they required schools to maintain a percentage of minority students in their total student enrollment. For Hispanic-serving institutions, at least 25% of schools’ student body must be Hispanic students, while at least 40% of predominantly Black institutions’ student body must be Black.
According to California State University, 21 of the university’s 22 campuses meet the criteria to qualify as a Hispanic-serving institution. CSU Chancellor Mildred García said last week the university is “deeply troubled” by the Trump Administration’s decision to end funding for the grant program and the action will have “an immediate impact and irreparable harm to our entire community.”
“Hispanic students account for nearly half of the CSU’s total student population and reflect the extraordinary diversity of the state of California, which makes the CSU truly unique,” García said. “Without this funding, students will lose the critical support they need to succeed in the classroom, complete their degrees on time, and achieve social mobility for themselves and their families. Federal HSI funding is used by the CSU to support all CSU students, not just Hispanic students.”
The Department of Education also announced Monday a one-time investment of $495 million in funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, bringing the total funding for HBCUs to $1.34 billion and for TCCUs to $108 million for fiscal year 2025. The department also said it would invest over $160 million in American history and civics grants.
“The department has carefully scrutinized our federal grants, ensuring that taxpayers are not funding racially discriminatory programs but those programs which promote merit and excellence in education,” McMahon said in a statement Monday. “The Trump Administration will use every available tool to meaningfully advance educational outcomes and ensure every American has the opportunity to succeed in life.”