USDA Funding for HSIs
HACU's Position
The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) advocates for USDA initiatives through the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) to support Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). This collaboration, strengthened by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and active leadership group meetings, fosters programs that attract, retain, and graduate students into the nation’s agricultural workforce.
Call to Action:
Administered by USDA-NIFA, the Hispanic-Serving Institutions Education Grants Program is currently funded at $16 million for FY 2023. HACU is pushing for a substantial increase to meet the growing needs of HSIs due to chronic underfunding historically.
HACU proposes significant funding increases under the reauthorized Farm Bill to support HSIs and HSACUs:
- $100 million for the NIFA HSIs Education Grants Program.
- $100 million for the HSACU Endowment Program.
- $40 million for the HSACU Equity Grants Program.
- $80 million each for Institutional Capacity-Building, Basic and Applied Research, National Resources Leadership, and Extension Grants.
- $30 million for Training Hispanic Agricultural Workers.
With HSACUs enrolling about 1.3 million undergraduate Hispanic students (47% of total undergraduate students at these institutions) and over 21 million jobs linked to agriculture in the U.S., increased funding is vital for maintaining a robust agricultural workforce.