The U.S. government provided more than $237 million in federal funding to Historically Black Colleges and Universities in Mississippi, the Department of Education said in a news release Friday.
It's an infusion of funds from The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that is being lauded as the largest ever for HBCUs and a compliment to other American Rescue Plan Funds for higher-learning institutions that support communities of color.
According to the release, HBCUs across the country received a total of $2.7 billion in funds from the bill President Joe Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The American Rescue Plan requires half of these funds to be used to provide direct financial relief to students," the release states. "The Department of Education expects far more will ultimately be used for that purpose. In addition to funding provided under previous coronavirus relief legislation, these funds are already being used by colleges and universities across the country to serve students and ensure learning continues during the COVID-19 pandemic."
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