Headline Roundup • September 15th, 2025
Education Department Redirects $495 Million to HBCUs and TCCUs
Summary from the AllSides News Team
The Department of Education on Monday announced it was redirecting roughly $500 million in federal funds to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs).
The Details: According to the announcement, HBCUs and TCCUs will get a one-time investment of $495 million on top of what is going in the 2025 federal budget–translating into funding increases of 48.4% for HBCUs and 109.3% for TCCUs. Charter schools will also receive an additional $60 million, totaling $500 million in available funds for this year. American history and civics programs are also set to gain $160 million in new grants. The Department said the money is repurposed from other programs it “determined are not in the best interest of students and families.”
For Context: In April, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to invest in HBCUs, and increase their competitiveness for funding and workforce development. In July, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to allow Trump to resume efforts to lay off 1,300 positions in the Department of Education and shrink the agency. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), a nonprofit organization that supports black college students, released a press release thanking Trump for the funding.
How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the left wrote the investment takes away grant funding from colleges serving large numbers of minority students–specifically Hispanic students–and comes amid broader cuts to education. The New York Times (Lean Left bias) said “Trump has routinely sought to align himself with historically Black colleges and universities as a way to earn good will from Black voters.” It included one quote of support for the initiative, and more that were critical of the move. Newsweek (Center) wrote, “The shift underscores the department's use of its authority to repurpose discretionary funds to match the president's priorities.” It also highlighted cuts to the Hispanic Serving Institution program, and Democrat criticism. AllSides did not find coverage from outlets on the right.
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Featured Coverage of this Story
The Trump administration is redirecting nearly $500 million in federal funding toward historically Black colleges and tribal colleges, a one-time investment covered primarily by cuts to other colleges serving large numbers of minority students.
Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times
The Trump administration on Monday announced that it would inject nearly $500 million into historically Black colleges and tribal universities, a windfall funded largely by cuts to programs elsewhere for minority students.
Photo from AP
The Trump administration is redirecting nearly $500 million in federal funding toward historically Black colleges and universities and tribal colleges, a one-time investment covered largely by cuts to other colleges serving large numbers of minority students.
