Appropriated but Not Distributed: The Fight to Turn HSI Funding into Student Support

In September 2025, the U.S. Department of Education announced the elimination of $350 million in funding for Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), arguing that the grants are "discriminatory" because they restrict eligibility to institutions that meet “government-mandated racial quotas.” Months later, Congress passed, and President Trump later signed, a federal spending deal that maintains funding for Title V and Part A of Title III, the very programs that support HSIs. Yet rather than providing relief, this action has created significant confusion for California Community Colleges. 

This system-wide crisis placed more than 1 million California Community Colleges students and approximately $20 million in HSI funding at risk, as over 90% of California's 116 community colleges are designated HSIs.