HBCUs and the Fight for Financial Equity in Higher Education
Student Freedom Initiative’s Keith B. Shoates puts it plainly: HBCUs face a massive endowment gap that we must close.
In higher education, a strong endowment is often seen as the ultimate marker of stability. It allows institutions to plan confidently for the future, attract top talent, and weather economic storms. But for the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), endowment disparities remain a stark reminder of how centuries of inequity continue to shape the present.
The top 10 largest endowments from Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs) and top 10 HBCUs in 2024 were $336 billion and $2.6 billion, respectively, representing a drastic 129-to-1 endowment ratio. While the endowments at 226 PWIs exceed $1 billion, Howard University became the first HBCU to achieve this milestone last year, and only eight HBCUs have endowments over $1 million.
HBCUs Produce Extraordinary Results
For generations, HBCUs have delivered extraordinary results with far fewer resources. Though they represent only about 3% of U.S. colleges and universities, they produce nearly 20% of Black college graduates, including 40% of Black engineers and members of Congress, 70% of Black doctors, and 50% of Black teachers. However, the average endowment at an HBCU remains a fraction of that at predominantly white institutions.
This gap is not the result of a lack of institutional will or alumni loyalty. It’s rooted in structural inequities. The white-Black wealth gap, which currently stands at 6-to-1, means Black alumni have historically had less to give, while state and federal funding formulas have often left HBCUs shortchanged. As a result, many schools operate with limited financial cushions, making it harder to invest in infrastructure, innovate for the future, respond to crises, or meet the financial needs of their students.
#FundHBCUs #EducationEquity #HBCUPride
