Predominantly Black institutions are recognized with a new federal grant program and proposed funding in the new HEA bill.
After years of lobbying for more federal aid and visibility, predominantly Black colleges and universities — many of them located in northern cities — are gaining a greater foothold in Washington.
These colleges, which enroll large numbers of Black students but are not historically Black institutions, will divide $15 million over two years through a new grant competition expected to be formally open for applications soon. Approved under the College Cost Reduction Act, the competitive grants can provide predominantly Black institutions, or PBIs, with a minimum grant of at least $250,000.
“We’ve got a foot in the door. That’s significant,” says Dr. Edison Jackson, president of Medgar Evers College in New York, who long has argued for aid to PBIs. With a Black enrollment of about 94 percent, Jackson’s college would qualify for the new funds.
Precise eligibility rules for the competition are still pending.
