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America’s Historically Black colleges and universities are now caught between Washington’s heavy hand and the reality of household budgets, and Forbes just reported that private philanthropists are stepping into a gap the federal government has helped create.
The so‑called One Big Beautiful Bill Act tightened the rules around federal borrowing, setting new aggregate and annual limits that will hit graduate students and parents who have been a financial backstop for many families.
Those changes are real and they kick in with concrete caps: Grad PLUS is being phased out for new borrowers and graduate borrowing will be sharply limited, while Parent PLUS loans will no longer cover unrestricted sums for tuition and living costs.
That may sound like fiscal responsibility to belt‑tightening politicians, but the consequence is predictable — lower liquidity for students and budgets for colleges that already operate with tiny endowments compared with wealthier schools.
Enter private donors: high‑net‑worth Americans are writing big checks to shore up HBCU endowments and scholarships.
MacKenzie Scott’s large commitment to UNCF and earlier efforts from philanthropists like Robert F. Smith show the private sector can mobilize quickly when political leaders punt responsibility.
We should cheer generosity from successful Americans, but do not be fooled: charity cannot substitute for coherent policy. Conservatives believe in private giving and local solutions, not Washington band‑aids that leave institutions scrambling because of last‑minute rule changes and half‑measures.
The real conservative answer is twofold — insist that colleges cut bureaucratic fat and make education more affordable, and encourage entrepreneurship and private support for merit and need so students can succeed without endless federal entanglement. Families and taxpayers deserve stability, predictable rules, and institutions that live within their means instead of another federal bailout.
If lawmakers want to talk about fairness, they should stop pretending unlimited federal loans are a public good and instead create opportunity through work, apprenticeships, targeted aid, and incentives for donors to invest in campus programs that teach real skills. Hardworking Americans of every background pay the bill; we should demand that both colleges and politicians be accountable while thanking those who step up where Washington refuses to lead.
