HOUSTON, Texas — With the help of Project SERV (School Emergency Response to Violence), Texas Southern University and other Historically Black Colleges and Universities will receive funds to help them recover after being victims of bomb threats last year. The United States Department of Education announced grants for Howard University, Delaware State University and Claflin University, along with TSU.

What You Need To Know

  • Through Project SERV, the U.S. Government announced its plan to award grants to HBCUs impacted by bomb threats last year
  • Project SERV awarded four HBCUs funds to Texas Southern University, Howard University, Claflin University and Delaware State University 

  • Texas Southern University received $192,962 through the grant 

Project SERV supplies “short-term funding for local educational agencies and institutions of higher learning education” exposed to a “violent or traumatic incident” to restore a safe environment for students, faculty and staff. Project SERV awarded TSU $192,962, Delaware State University $217,000, Claflin University $444,000, and Howard University $203,000, with more grants expected to be announced within the coming weeks.

“The bomb threats last year that targeted several Historically Black Colleges and Universities, traumatized their campus communities, disrupted learning and drained resources by prompting costly campus lockdowns, class cancellations and law enforcement activities,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona.

“The Biden-Harris administration will always stand by HBCUs and unequivocally condemn racist efforts to terrorize Black students and educators and deprive them of their right to safe, welcoming, and nurturing environments for teaching and learning,” he continued. “The Project SERV grants announced today will help four HBCUs directly impacted by these bomb threats to better serve students, faculty, and staff by increasing access to mental health and wellness services and improving other vital supports.”

Upon students’ return to class in January for the spring semester, officials documented at least eight institutions that became victims of bomb threats, resulting in mass evacuations and police investigations. In February, Black History Month, additional HBCUs experienced bomb threats resulting in 20 colleges and universities being impacted by lockdowns and/or closures.

“These funds are critically important to the safety, security, and well-being of our institutions,” said Dietra Trent, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence and Economic Opportunity through Historically Black Colleges and Universities. “HBCU students consider their campuses as a sacred refuge and home away from home, and it is imperative that we provide them with these resources, ensuring that they not only feel safe but are safe. It is also incumbent upon us to ensure that the faculty and staff who are dedicated to educating the next generation of leaders are also able to do so with peace of mind. Since day one, the Biden-Harris Administration has been committed to strengthening the HBCU community and the investments that these institutions will make using the Project SERV funds is another example of the strength of that commitment.”

In November 2022, the FBI announced that a minor would be charged with making racist threats against more than 50 HBCUs. In a statement, the FBI said that the juvenile who wouldn’t be charged federally due to limitations for juveniles would be charged under various other state offenses instead. Following the multiple threats, the Biden administration announced the launch of an FBI investigation, insisting that the threats would be investigated as “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes.”

“The recent bomb threats experienced by HBCUs have shaken students and fractured their sense of safety and belonging, which are critical to their academic success and well-being,” Cardona said.