Texas schools to receive grant money as Trump administration ends funding freeze
More than half a billion dollars designated for Texas schools are expected to be released this week after being tied up in the Trump administration’s freeze on federal education grants.
Administration officials announced Friday that they would release nearly $5 billion in grant funding that had been on hold for weeks. Texas’ share of that funding comes to about $537 million.
In Fort Worth, the funding freeze prompted school officials to pause four programs providing mentoring and student mental health services. Karen Molinar, superintendent of the Fort Worth Independent School District, said during a board meeting on Tuesday, July 22, that the district would have to pause its work with four partner organizations — T3, Communities in Schools, My Brother’s Keeper/My Sister’s Keeper and Girls, Inc.
The T3 Partnership, also known as Tarrant To and Through, works to help more Tarrant County students earn a college degree or other postsecondary credential. Communities in Schools of Greater Tarrant County provides mental health services for students in 12 school districts in the Fort Worth area. My Brother’s Keeper, My Sister’s Keeper and Girls, Inc. offer mentoring, academic and social support.
In a statement, Allison Socol, vice president of the national education advocacy group EdTrust, said the announcement was a victory for the parents, teachers, school leaders and lawmakers from both parties who demanded the money be released. But Socol noted that damage has already been done — districts across the country have canceled programs and contracts and laid off employees.
““The Great American Heist is not only about the misuse of public dollars — it’s about an ongoing, deliberate attempt to dismantle public education as we know it,” Socol said. “Today’s announcement, while welcome, is proof that we can win — but it does not mark the end of the fight.”
The funding that was on hold was designated for four grant programs:
Title I, Part C – Migrant Education
Title II, Part A – Supporting Effective Instruction
Title III, Part A – English Language Acquisition
Title IV, Part A – Student Support and Academic Enrichment
Trump administration officials initially paused funding for a fifth program, Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, also known as Title IV, Part B. But the U.S. Department of Education announced earlier this month that funding would be released.
This story was originally published July 25, 2025 at 3:50 PM.
