Report: Universities Have Raised Over $336 Million in DEI Funds Since 2021

More than a hundred colleges and universities have accumulated more than $336 million via contributions programs focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion , grants, and departments, an education watchdog group found.

The report by Defending Education These institutions have redirected these funds subsequently as a means to dissociate themselves from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, allegedly bypassing President Donald Trump’s executive directive that bans federal financing for organizations promoting such frameworks.

The Washington Examiner reported last week Based on the organization's observations, over 350 higher education institutions have taken steps to revamp their DEI offices in response to potential repercussions under the Trump administration. As an illustration, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln changed the name of its "Diversity and Inclusion Fund" office to the "Support Fund for Community and Belonging."

According to the latest report from Defending Education, between 2016 and 2021, the University of Michigan amassed more than $98,665,269 for various diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. This funding included support for establishing a "George Floyd Memorial Scholarship." referencing The African American man who died while being detained by law enforcement in 2020.

Other institutions such as the University of Connecticut were likewise highlighted in the report. The organization Defending Education discovered that the university’s UConn Foundation contributed $23 million towards diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.

Other institutions of higher learning are likewise establishing donation funds aimed at channeling resources towards diversity, equity, and inclusion scholarships and initiatives, as observed by Defending Education. Examples include Harvard's The "Racial Equity and Anti-Racism Fund" along with a "National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Defense Fund," both established at the University of Southern California's Race and Equity Center.

Kendall Tietz, an investigative journalist with Defending Education, stated that the move to relabel ethnicity-specific scholarships and financial aid, enabling colleges to incorporate DEI initiatives under this guise, is clearly aimed at sidestepping the executive orders issued during the Trump administration.

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Furthermore, funding based on race is clearly against the law," she stated. "Removing specific terms such as 'diversity and inclusion' and substituting them with 'community and belonging' doesn’t imply that the program’s objective has changed.

In the meantime, the Trump administration is currently in the midst of pulling funding From the University of Maine due to non-compliance with Title IX requirements. Similarly, California and Minnesota have received warnings from Attorney General Pam Bondi indicating that they might face consequences next.