President Donald Trump giving remarks at a memorial event at the Pentagon alongside U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, center, and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, right, on the anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2025, in Arlington, VA.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration says it will reallocate nearly $500 million in additional funding to historically Black colleges and universities and tribal campuses, as it slashes grant programs for other minority students.

The Department of Education announced the plans Sept. 15 as part of its effort to redirect money toward President Donald Trump's chief priorities. The Department also plans to award $500 million in grants to charter schools and will invest more than $160 million in American history and civics education programs. In its announcement, the agency cited a Sept. 9 report showing declines in K-12 student achievement as a cause for the additional charter school grants.

"Today, the Department is making three massive investments – redirecting financial support away from ineffective and discriminatory programs toward those which support student success," U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.

The move comes days after the administration said it is withholding more than $350 million in grants to Minority-Serving Institutions, including colleges and universities that serve large populations of Hispanic students, arguing that awarding grants based on racial and ethnic enrollment is unconstitutional. The cuts targeted grants for institutions serving Alaska and Hawaiian natives, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic and Black students.

Trump has long called for the dismantling of the Department of Education, in February telling McMahon that he wanted her to "put herself out of a job," a move that would require the support of Congress. However, the president has sought other methods of decreasing the Department of Education's power, including proposing a 15% funding decrease for the agency in his 2026 budget proposal.

The additional funding pushes the Trump administration's 2025 investment in historically Black colleges and universities to more than $1.34 billion and the total for tribal colleges, which are often controlled by Native American tribes, to more than $108 million, the release said.

UNCF, a nonprofit that funds scholarships for Black students, applauded the Trump administration's reappropriation of funds, noting that HBCUs have historically been underfunded.

Lodriquez Murray, senior vice president for public policy and government affairs at the organization, described the move as "nothing short of a godsend for HBCUs," and said it would be used to help schools acquire property, build and maintain facilities, buy laboratory equipment and support students and faculty, and to address other needs.

USA TODAY reached out to the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education for comment, but has not received a response.

Democrats and other college leaders have sharply criticized the administration's changes. Amanda Fuchs Miller, former deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs under President Joe Biden, argued, in a Sept. 15 LinkedIn post, that the funding changes had surpassed the Department of Education's authority.

"Congress directs how funding is spent. The Executive Branch implements it. The role of the Department of Ed in these grant programs is to shape them to move their priorities forward," Miller said. "It is not to just decide that authorized and appropriated programs shouldn't be funded and to take that money and give it elsewhere for political reasons."

McMahon defended reallocation of funds, saying the agency "carefully scrutinized our federal grants, ensuring that taxpayers are not funding racially discriminatory programs but those programs which promote merit and excellence in education."

"The Trump Administration will use every available tool to meaningfully advance educational outcomes and ensure every American has the opportunity to succeed in life," she said.

Since his reelection, Trump has sought to align himself with Black colleges and universities as part of broader political efforts to court support from Black voters. In April, the president signed a largely symbolic executive order to "promote excellence and innovation" at HBCUs, as he cut support for other minority-focused education programs.

The funding changes apply to the current year's budget, which is set to expire Sept. 30 unless Congress passes a new budget or stopgap funding package, also known as a continuing resolution, to extend current funding.

Contributing: Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump shifts millions in funds to HBCUs, tribal schools, amid deep education cuts

Reporting by Karissa Waddick, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect