UNCF grateful for proposed investments to benefit one of the most important programs for HBCUs
President Biden fulfills the requirement of releasing his version of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 federal budget, and we are pleased to see that Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and students from disadvantaged backgrounds are prioritized. The Biden budget would:
Increase funding for HBCUs, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and Community Colleges to enroll, retain and graduate students.
The discretionary request would increase institutional capacity and student support at HBCUs, TCCUs, MSIs and low-resourced institutions, including community colleges.
The discretionary request provides an increase of more than $600 million over the 2021 enacted level for these programs.
These funds would also support programs that provide additional help to disadvantaged students, including those at community colleges, to ensure they succeed in and graduate from college.
“This is an investment, and we hope it is the beginning of investments which are sorely needed and deserved by HBCUs,” said Dr. Michael L. Lomax, president and CEO of UNCF. “HBCUs produce world leaders, often from students who come from the most fragile backgrounds. This funding increase would bolster those efforts. After UNCF studies the budget details more, I am sure we will continue to push Congress to sustain these increases, and maybe advocate for more.”
“UNCF thanks President Biden for investing in HBCUs and those students who most need investments to unlock their future potential,” said Lodriguez V. Murray, UNCF senior vice president for public policy and government affairs. “Usually, a president’s budget would level-fund these programs, at best. For President Biden to ask for increases initially must certainly be his administration’s signal to Congress that these increases (and hopefully more) should be taken up by the legislature as soon as possible. UNCF will take the president’s action as motivation in our congressional advocacy.”