Civil rights centers for students face funding cuts
For more than half a century, the federal government has funded a network of equity assistance centers—nonprofit groups that started as desegregation hubs and now help schools expand opportunities for marginalized students. Their future has grown uncertain after a year of funding cuts, legal battles, and sudden policy changes.
Funding pulled, then restored—with lasting damage
Eshé Collins leads the Region II center, which serves 11 Southern states from an office in downtown Atlanta. The building once housed Thurgood Marshall’s legal work. When Donald Trump won the 2024 election, Collins prepared for challenges. She expected her center to face elimination because its name included the word “equity.”
In February 2025, the U.S. Department of Education ended her center’s five-year grant more than two years early. Collins emailed the grant manager to confirm the decision. Six months and two lawsuits later, the funding returned—but not without consequences. Two of Collins’ colleagues left for other positions. The Region I center, covering the Northeast, laid off experienced staff and reduced others to part-time roles. The Region III center, based at a public university in Indiana, closed before reopening with a new team.
New threats under the Trump administration
The instability didn’t stop after funding was restored. The Trump administration has proposed cutting the centers’ $6.6 million annual budget in both of its federal budget drafts. In June 2025, the Education Department announced three additional changes: moving the program to its research arm, then to the Department of Justice, and proposing to eliminate all regulations governing the centers.
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A spokesperson said the shifts would provide “greater flexibility” and align with “current priorities.” The centers’ grants run through September 2027, with a one-year transition period planned. Collins remains skeptical. “I believe this is the beginning of the end for the equity assistance program as we know it.”
The centers were established after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to help districts follow desegregation orders. Today, they assist with discrimination based on race, sex, religion, and national origin. Collins’ center has helped schools adjust gifted programs, manage redistricting, and improve hiring practices. Despite accusations that the centers promote a political agenda, she says their work addresses real problems—like a superintendent candidate in Arkansas who credited the center’s training with reducing bias in hiring.
Legal battles and an unclear path forward
The Mid-Atlantic Equity Consortium, which operates the Region I center, and the NAACP sued over the funding cuts. A judge issued preliminary injunctions, forcing the Education Department to restore funding. The legal dispute continues, with the administration arguing in court that the program conflicts with its interpretation of civil rights law.
Darryl Williams has directed the Region I center for 30 years. “I’ve seen every change Congress made to this program,” he said. “Eliminating the centers would undo much of what the Civil Rights Act aimed to achieve.”
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The proposed regulation changes drew 43 public comments, with only five in favor of rescinding them. One pastor criticized the centers for addressing racial injustice and transgender student issues, calling it “ideological programming.” Most commenters, however, urged keeping the program. A parent noted it helped her children’s private school build a more inclusive environment.
Collins isn’t sure whether the Education or Justice Department will launch a new grant competition—or what it might look like. For now, her center has expanded its client list to 10 districts, with eight more in discussions. The struggle to keep the centers operating continues.
These organizations have long supported innovations in healthcare delivery by ensuring equitable access to resources, though their primary focus remains education.
