The Biden-Harris administration recently announced an additional $1.3 billion in federal investments for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This brings the administration’s total investment in HBCUs to a record $17 billion since Fiscal Year 2021.
“That’s the most any administration has ever, ever, ever, ever committed,” President Joe Biden said September 16, 2024, as he announced the investment during the 2024 HBCU Week Conference in Philadelphia.
According to White House officials, HBCUs enroll twice as many Pell Grant-eligible low—and middle-income students as non-HBCU institutions, producing a significant percentage of Black professionals in critical fields—40% of engineers, 50% of teachers, 70% of doctors and dentists, and 80% of judges. The schools represent just 3% of the nation’s colleges and universities.
According to a White House fact sheet, the $1.3 billion investment includes $188 million in competitive grants for R&D capacity building and $1.1 billion in funding to support students directly through need-based grants and programs like Pell Grants.
“The latest infusion of funding for HBCUs builds on the unprecedented track record of delivery for HBCUs that this administration has had,” Dietra Trent, executive director of the White House Initiative on HBCUs, told the online publication The 19th.
“A large portion of those funds will go in direct support to our students through need-based grants and need-based aid. In terms of how that will impact our students, it will help them pay for college. It will take the burden off families. It will help them to stay in college, so it’s going to have a huge impact.”
The investment is part of a series of initiatives launched to expand HBCUs’ influence and capabilities, including:
Innovation in defense: The Department of Defense created the first-ever HBCU-led University Affiliated Research Center (UARC). Howard University, leading a $90 million program over five years, focuses on advancing autonomous technologies for Air Force missions.
Bridging the digital divide: The Department of Commerce’s Connecting-Minority-Communities program funds 43 HBCUs to secure high-speed internet, equipment, and IT personnel, directly addressing the digital divide.
“This program not only increases broadband on their campuses but also in their communities, and we know that 80% of our HBCUs are in broadband deserts,” Trent said.
Advancing ‘Clean Energy’: The Department of Energy’s $7.75 million HBCU Clean Energy Education Prize is designed to enhance STEM education and inspire future leaders in clean energy fields.
Diversity in agriculture: The Department of Agriculture’s $262.5 million investment supports 33 projects to train over 20,000 future food and agricultural leaders, emphasizing diversity in the agricultural sector.
Officials said that the unprecedented support for HBCUs reflects the administration’s broader agenda to promote educational excellence and equity.
Reestablishing the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity through HBCUs further signifies this commitment, they said.
Further, according to the fact sheet, the administration’s diversity is a testament to this focus, with many HBCU graduates, including Harris, holding key roles.
The new funding coincides with Forbes magazine’s recent ranking of HBCUs. Forbes named Howard University the number one HBCU. It was ranked 273rd among the top 500 colleges and universities, ahead of Spelman, Morehouse, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU), North Carolina A&T, and Hampton University.
The rankings highlight HBCUs’ ability to produce high-earning, influential graduates from diverse economic backgrounds, often with lower student debt.
“This administration has supported HBCUs from day one,” she Trent.
“It understands that HBCUs have the outsized burden of diversifying America’s workforce, and so the administration has taken the approach that we’re going to support them.”
On Sept. 19, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that it had also awarded about $50 million to Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The funds will be used to increase graduate opportunities for Latinx students, including in the STEM and education fields. With the funding, the administration also aims to improve educational attainment rates among Latinx students.
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