The Department of Education has allocated more than $1 billion in grants focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives since 2021, according to a report by Parents Defending Education (PDE). These grants, distributed across 42 states, have funded race-based hiring, DEI programming, and mental health training in schools.
The PDE report, first reported by Fox News, analyzed four years of public data from the Department of Education. It found that 229 grants were awarded, totaling $1,002,522,304.81. The breakdown includes $489,883,797 for race-based hiring, $343,337,286 for DEI programming, and $169,301,221 for DEI-based mental health training.
The report clarified that the total incorporates both committed and disbursed funds, as grants are often distributed over multiple years. Researcher Rhyen Staley noted that the numbers might underrepresent the actual totals, as the criteria used for identifying DEI-related grants were conservative.
Examples highlighted in the report include a $3.97 million grant to the School District of Philadelphia for a restorative justice program, reportedly led by a former member of the Communist Party. Another grant included $4 million allocated to a “culturally responsive” computer science summer camp for 11th and 12th graders.
Starley criticized the Department of Education following the report, claiming that the current administration has been “incentivizing” far-left political beliefs in schools rather than “rigorous, proven methods of instruction.”
“The only people or groups to benefit from the enormous amount of grant funding are the universities, administrators, and DEI consultants, at the expense of children’s education,” Staley argued. “This needs to change by placing children’s learning at the forefront of education, instead of prioritizing race-based policies and DEI.”
Michele Exner, senior advisor at Parents Defending Education, echoed the critique, calling the spending wasteful and harmful to students’ education.
“Over one billion dollars squandered on progressive pet projects all while American students’ academic performance continues to plummet. Under Secretary Cardona, this organization has been a complete farce that has failed families and students time and time again. This will be the legacy of the Biden administration’s Department of Education. Families are fed up and are excited for January when we will have new leadership in the nation’s capital who will focus on getting this toxic and divisive waste out of our education system,” she said.
