By Jordan Meadows
Staff Writer
Former President Donald Trump signed an executive order establishing the White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at HBCUs. While not the first executive action of its kind—every president since Jimmy Carter has issued HBCU-related orders—Trump’s new directive arrives as Harvard University sued the Trump administration after it froze $2.3bn in federal funding for the institution.
The 2025 executive order praises HBCUs’ vital role in American higher education. It aims to strengthen their capacity, promote workforce development, and encourage state compliance with funding mandates. It does not commit any new federal funds. From 2021 through 2024, the Biden-Harris administration directed over $17 billion in federal funding to HBCUs.
Despite federal efforts over the decades, the core funding problem facing HBCUs lies with the states. The Second Morrill Act of 1890 required states to provide land-grant institutions for Black students if they excluded them from their white colleges. However, many states created underfunded “separate but unequal” HBCUs and took federal funds while failing to match them.
According to a 2022 Forbes Magazine investigation, from 1987 to 2020, 18 Black land-grant universities were shortchanged by a combined $12.8 billion in state funding. Tennessee State University (TSU) received $1.9 billion less than the University of Tennessee over that period. North Carolina A&T, the nation’s largest HBCU, was underfunded by $2.8 billion compared to NC State University. In 2020 alone, NC A&T received $8,200 less per student than NC State.
While some states—such as Delaware and Ohio—have met funding requirements, most have not. In 2020, Tennessee provided over four times the required state match for the University of Tennessee but barely exceeded the minimum for TSU. This underfunding has a domino effect: HBCUs have smaller endowments, fewer research grants, and greater borrowing costs.
Lack of investment has tangible consequences. Many HBCUs struggle with crumbling buildings, outdated labs, and overcrowded dorms. This has led to confrontations between students and universities, like last Thursday at North Carolina Central in Durham where police detained five people among those rallying for more student housing.
In FY2024, HBCUs reported $91.9 million in new endowment gifts, up from $74.7 million the year before. While welcome, these gifts are a drop in the bucket compared to the $12.8 billion in missing public funds.
