North Bay College Loses $3.1M In Federal Grants

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Due to the Trump administration's decision to discontinue funding for programs designated for colleges with significant minority student populations, Dominican University of California in San Rafael is set to lose $3.1 million in federal grant money, school officials said.

This month, the U.S. Department of Education announced it would discontinue discretionary funding for several grant programs benefiting Minority-Serving Institutions. The reason cited for this decision is that these programs "discriminate by conferring government benefits exclusively to institutions that meet racial or ethnic quotas."

Minority-serving institutions are U.S. colleges with a significant percentage of students from racial or ethnic minority groups. For instance, a "Hispanic-serving institution" must have at least 25 percent Hispanic undergraduates. Similarly, for an Asian American, Native American, or Pacific Islander-serving institution, at least 10 percent of undergraduates must identify as such.

Dominican University received two designations in 2022, along with a five-year, $3 million grant. This initial grant was aimed at boosting first-year and transfer enrollment and improving retention and graduation rates for Hispanic undergraduate students. In 2023, the university secured a second five-year, $3 million grant, also through the HSI program, to fund similar initiatives for its graduate students, according to Nicola Pitchford, the Dominican University president.

Like many colleges across the nation, Dominican University is struggling with declining enrollment, new Trump administration mandates, and lost grant money, mirroring national trends.