Washington, DC, Sept. 22, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, at the White House Initiative on HBCUs Summit at the White House complex, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a second round of funding for historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs)—which exceeds the congressionally approved amount. This year, for fiscal year (FY) 2026, $174 million was added to HBCUs by President Trump and his administration.
The newly announced funding, which comes through the mandatory mechanism, is in addition to the $406 million passed by Congress and signed by the President. Last year, the Trump Administration added $439 million to the previous year’s $406 million. When combining FY 2025 to FY 2026, HBCUs received a cumulative $612 million above the level approved by Congress.
“I want to commend the president and the secretary of education for prioritizing HBCUs,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO, UNCF. “All year long, I have worked with our team at UNCF to make the case that the first year of one-time funding was not enough. The needs on HBCU campuses are too severe; but this investment will surely yield a great return. Our grateful community is appreciative, and we look forward to investing the funds well into our campuses, programs, and most importantly, our students.”
“HBCUs have long deserved this kind of investment, and it is high time an administration took note to make it happen,” said Lodriguez Murray, senior vice president, public policy and government affairs, UNCF.
“HBCUs are the most excellent institutions in the country in terms of educating students from lower socio-economic backgrounds and getting them to and through college,” Murray continued. "HBCUs infuse about $16 billion into our economy annually, and hire and fire, collectively, like a Fortune 50 company. A class of HBCU graduates will earn $146 billion over their lifetime. In short, HBCUs more than deserve the additional funding. I want to thank President Trump, Secretary McMahon and all the talented individuals at the White House and Departments of Education and Labor who made this announcement possible today.”
The funds were reprogrammed from mandatory education funding.
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About UNCF
UNCF is one of the nation’s largest and most effective supporters of higher education and serves as a leading advocate for college-bound students. Since its founding in 1944, UNCF has raised more than $6 billion to support students' access to higher education, provide scholarships and strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Each year, UNCF awards more than 13,000 scholarships to more than 10,000 students totaling more than $64 million. The scholarships support students attending more than 600 US-based colleges and universities including 36 UNCF-member HBCUs. Through its efforts, UNCF has helped generations of students to get to and through college. We believe a college education plays a vital role in strengthening the pipeline of leaders and professionals who advance our society. Our logo features the UNCF torch of leadership in education and our widely recognized trademark is, ‟A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”® Learn more at UNCF.org or for continuous updates and news, follow UNCF on Instagram.
Roy Betts UNCF 240.703.3384 roy.betts@uncf.org
