The U.S. Department of Education has allocated over $1 billion in grants advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in hiring, programming, and mental health training in schools since 2021, according to a report by Parents Defending Education (PDE), a conservative organization that rallies against what it calls “harmful agendas” in the classroom.
According to the report, multiple grants were for programs that prioritize race-based teacher recruitment, hiring, and training, in addition to grants that support youth activism programs often tied to far-left ethnic studies courses.
In total, the report identifies $490 million spent on grants for DEI hiring and recruitment initiatives, $343 million for DEI programming, and $170 million for DEI-based mental health training.
The Biden administration spent $1 billion on DEI programs through the Department of Education, according to a report.
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DEI grants in Minnesota
The University of Minnesota received more than $2.2 million in federal funding for DEI initiatives, according to the report. It lists two grants to the university: one for $1 million and another for $1.2 million that both aimed to “increase the number and diversity of fully qualified school psychologists” in select schools districts.
“The Project leverages collaborative efforts between the Minnesota School Psychologists Association, the Minnesota Collective for Educational Equity, and the Center for Applied Research and Educational Improvement in order to achieve project objectives and sustain investments well beyond the proposed five-year project,” a grant description reads.
Alpha News contacted the University of Minnesota to ask specific questions about how the taxpayer-funded grants are being used, but the university did not respond to inquiries.
U of M hit with federal civil rights complaint for ‘racially discriminatory program’
The University of Minnesota was recently hit with a federal civil rights complaint regarding a race-based program—and it isn’t the first time the feds have been called in to the state to investigate.
Bill Jacobson, president of the Legal Insurrection Foundation and its Equal Protection Project, recently spoke to Alpha News’ Liz Collin about the complaint. He called the university’s actions “one of the more outrageous programs” his organization has encountered, citing what he described as “openly segregated” practices.
Jacobson noted that his group has filed nearly 50 complaints nationwide, including several in Minnesota, and said the university’s program stands out for its brazenness.
Broader examples of federal spending
The PDE report highlights other examples of DEI-related grants across the country, such as:
- A $3.97 million grant to the School District of Philadelphia for a restorative justice program overseen by a former Communist Party USA member.
- A $4 million grant for a three-week “culturally responsive” computer science camp for 600 high school students.
- A $38,000 grant to a Michigan school district for a one-day equity-focused professional development session and accompanying books.
PDE researchers combed through four years of publicly available data to assess the Department of Education’s grant allocations under President Joe Biden, who has signed several executive orders over his term mandating DEI actions in federal agencies.
“These numbers are based on available data and not exact. The number of districts and students is likely much higher,” the report notes.
Between 2021 and the present, PDE found that 229 grants were awarded across 42 states and Washington, D.C., that explicitly advanced DEI objectives.
Jenna Gloeb
Jenna Gloeb is an Edward R. Murrow Award-winning journalist, media producer, public speaker, and screenwriter. Most recently, she worked as a reporter and on-air host for CCX Media. Jenna is a Minnesota native and resides in the Twin Cities with her husband, son, daughter, and two dogs.
