Written By Lexx Thornton
Days after President Trump’s administration began to cancel thousands of diversity- and equity-related grants, Tennessee State University’s Quincy Quick found himself in a virtual meeting with other vice presidents of research from around the country trying to make sense of their new reality.
In less than three years, Quick helped raise $100 million in research grants, launch an AI research center, and bring Tennessee State significantly closer to becoming the second historically Black college and university to receive Research I status. But many of those grants focused on serving Black students and Black communities, a core part of the land-grant institution’s mission.
As the VPs fretted over how they would retain vital research grants, one administrator quipped, “HBCUs won’t be affected because they don’t look at HBCUs as DEI.”
Quick, the only HBCU administrator in attendance, recalled thinking, “That’s ridiculous, and it’s absolutely naïve. We absolutely would get hit. … And that’s exactly what has happened.”
The cuts at TSU account for close to a fifth of its research budget over the last two years, Quick said. Canceled grants include a $2.5-million grant to tackle the declining enrollment of underrepresented engineers and $14 million out of an $18-million grant from the USDA to help, among other things, cover tuition and housing for agriculture students.
As a result of the cuts, Quick said he has paused all spending on research at the university. He now fears the university will lose its Research 2 status.
A half-century-long federal effort to turn more than a dozen HBCUs into Research 1 powerhouses has been significantly set back by Trump’s attack on so-called DEI-related research, according to administrators and advocates.
Over the last two decades, federal agencies have pumped hundreds of millions of dollars into HBCUs to produce more Black scholars and increase the amount of research being conducted on economic, social, and health disparities in Black American communities.
Those grants are now being paused or terminated by the National Science Foundation and National Institutes of Health as part of efforts to end all racially exclusive programs.
Despite Trump publicly touting his love of HBCUs, the grant pauses and terminations at the 13 HBCUs seeking Research 1 status have resulted in institution wide budget cuts, potential layoffs, and the loss of scholarships. The colleges collectively serve 40 percent of all HBCU students.
NSF terminated more than $11 million in grants at Howard University, the nation’s only Research 1 HBCU. That includes a $3-million grant for a program dedicated to increasing the number of Black and other minority students in the STEM fields.
North Carolina A&T University has lost more than $24 million in federal grants in recent weeks, its administrators told The Chronicle.
“We are still calculating our loss,” Melissa Hodge-Penn, NCAT’s interim vice chancellor for the Division of Research, said. “Because we have been receiving … terminations each week.”
In total, the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation have canceled more than $140 million in grants at HBCUs since March.
If funding cuts to HBCUs tied to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives continue, the financial and institutional impacts could be severe and far-reaching. Many HBCUs rely heavily on federal and state funding—up to 50–54% of their total revenue. Programs such as Title III (Strengthening HBCUs), 1890 Land-Grant Scholarships, TRIO, GEAR UP, Perkins CTE, and research-focused grants from agencies like the NIH and USDA have been targeted, placing hundreds of millions of dollars at risk. For example, Florida A&M University recently lost a $16.3 million NIH grant, while an additional $19 million in USDA agricultural scholarship funds have been paused. These cuts directly affect student aid and research opportunities, undermining HBCUs’ capacity to serve underserved populations.
The potential loss of federal Pell Grants is particularly concerning, as roughly 70–75% of HBCU students depend on these awards. A hypothetical 15% reduction—about $1,100 per student—could trigger enrollment declines and increase student financial insecurity. Simultaneously, research funding losses threaten faculty retention, student training, and institutional prestige. Already, schools like Howard and FAMU have seen multimillion-dollar setbacks in their research budgets, with ripple effects across their academic programs.
In the short term, these funding cuts could lead to decreased enrollment, layoffs, program closures, and stalled infrastructure projects. In the long term, the consequences could be even more damaging: weakened economic contributions from HBCUs (currently estimated at $14–16 billion annually with over 130,000 jobs supported), diminished access for low-income and first-generation students, and a reduced pipeline of Black professionals in critical fields like medicine, law, education, and STEM.
Despite these threats, many HBCUs are adapting by launching emergency fundraising campaigns, diversifying revenue sources through public-private partnerships, and increasing political advocacy. For example, FAMU has initiated a $10 million campaign to offset grant losses, while national groups such as the Congressional Black Caucus are working to protect DEI-linked funding. These proactive efforts highlight the resilience of HBCUs but also underscore the urgent need for sustained investment. Without significant policy support or private-sector intervention, the future of HBCUs could involve diminished academic capacity, reduced student access, and a weakening of the nation’s broader goals for racial and economic equity.
