TMCF Lauds Budget for Delivering for HBCUs

Statement

The Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) expresses its appreciation to the U.S. Congress and the Trump Administration for making record investments in HBCUs in the FY2020 Appropriations Bills. These bills include record-levels of funding for Title III funding, Historically Black College and University (HBCU) research, and student financial aid.

"Coming on the heels of the FUTURE Act becoming law, the budget agreement reached by Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-AL), and House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey (D-NY) and signed by President Donald J. Trump is the second example in as many weeks of bipartisan compromise that works to the benefit of HBCU students," said Harry L. Williams, TMCF president & CEO. "Among its many highlights, this budget increases Title III discretionary investment at HBCUs by $42 million to bring a record total of $325 million in funding to our campuses. It increases research investment by the Department of Defense at HBCUs and Minority-Serving Institutions by more than $12 million, for the first time, provides the opportunity for HBCU Capital Finance loan relief for public HBCUs and provides a record amount investments into student aid. We are especially grateful to the members of the Bipartisan Congressional HBCU Caucus, and the Congressional Black Caucus who all fought hard to ensure that the needs of HBCUs and their students were met in this budget agreement."

"HBCUs and other Minority Institutions are critical to building our research capacities and lifting up underserved communities across the country," said House Armed Services Committee Vice Chairman Anthony Brown (D-MD). "Working in close partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, we secured more than $52 million in research funding for the Department of Defense HBCU/MI program - a new record. Through this significant funding and the creation of new opportunities for defense research, we will tap into the great work happening at these institutions."

At the beginning of 2019, in partnership with the Emerging Technology Consortium, TMCF established the HBCU NDAA Advisory Committee designed to implement recommendations to Congress on how to better engage HBCUs into the research enterprise of the Department of Defense (DoD). The continuous engagement on this critical opportunity for both DoD and HBCUs has led to an increased focus on the equity of federal research funding.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) signed by President Trump, includes provisions from the HOMECOMING Research Act, also sponsored by Congressman Brown and developed in partnership with TMCF. The HOMECOMING Research Act requires a national study to review defense research at HBCUs with the goal of increasing engagement and research partnerships between the Department of Defense and HBCUs.

Source