Community college advocates and other stakeholders are rallying to send Congress a strong message to fight for federal funding for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), which the Trump administration has targeted for cuts.
Supporters of MSIs — which include Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Strengthening Predominantly Black Institutions and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, among others — contend that the grants are critical in supporting student success. The Trump administration, meanwhile, says the programs are unconstitutional.
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is urging two-year college leaders to connect with their congressional representatives to stress the importance of the programs. Eliminating the funding would dramatically affect colleges that rely on it, AACC argues, adding that the programs benefit all students, not just a subset. AACC this week holds its annual Advocates in Action program in Washington, D.C., which provides an opportunity for college leaders to visit their lawmakers’ offices.
The administration’s call to cut funding for MSIs follows its decision last month to no longer defend the HSI program in court, which HSI supporters say will effectively end the program. The move has received pushback from congressional Democrats and advocates.
What’s at stake
Supporters of MSI programs observe that Congress has allocated about $350 million for the programs in fiscal year (FY) 2025. In addition, appropriations committees in both chambers have approved to level-fund or slightly increase funding for FY26.
Organizations like the California Community Colleges, which represents 116 community colleges, noted that the MSI programs help to increase graduation rates, strengthen workforce pipelines and contribute to economic growth.
“As the largest and most diverse system of higher education in the nation, we remain committed to expanding access to higher education, advancing student achievement and economic mobility, and increasing the social vitality of the communities we serve,” Chancellor Sonya Christian said in a statement.
Christian said in a National Public Radio interview that the system is calculating how much funding some of its colleges may lose, but it is expected to be in the tens of millions.
Other HSI community colleges are also crunching numbers on the potential effect of the MSI cuts, in addition to other recent federal funding cuts. For Arizona’s Pima Community College, where half of its students are Latino, the MSI cut would mean losing $4.1 million, the Arizona Luminaria reports.
Benefiting all students
David Mendez, interim president of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU), emphasized that funds granted to HSIs have never supported only Latino students.
“These funds strengthen entire campuses, creating opportunities and resources that benefit all students, especially those pursuing STEM fields, as well as enhancing the communities where these colleges and universities are located,” he said in a release pertaining to the MSI cuts.
The chairs of three congressional caucuses — Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York) and Congressional Black Caucus Chair Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-New York) — have released a joint statement calling the cuts “reckless.”
“It threatens the futures of first-generation and low-income students, shuts millions of families out of the American Dream, and undermines our nation’s long-term economic growth,” the joint statement says. “Above all, it sends a message to Black, Hispanic, Native American, Alaska Native, and Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander students that there is no place for them in our nation’s colleges.”
