Despite incoming cuts to Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) caused by the U.S. Department of Education, the State Center Community College District Board of Trustees announced that they have prepared to protect student programs by adopting their 2025-26 district budget in a Sept. 2 meeting. The appropriate budget funds were set aside to ensure these programs can continue.
SCCCD Chancellor Carole Goldsmith wrote a message at the beginning of the 2025-26 final budget book where she announced that the district is able to budget $16 million specifically to maintain programs like CAMP and “protect our students and employees from the recent unpredictability in federal education and grant funding policies.”
Many statewide programs did not get a 2.3% increase in Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA), including the Student Equity and Achievement program, California College Promise, the Student Success Completion Grant, and more. This means that the exclusion of a 2.3% increase to fight inflation resulted in the loss of $38.4 million for all colleges statewide.

According to the 2025-26 state and local budget overview, the 2.35% enrollment growth experienced over the last few years has been substantial enough for the District to allocate more money to the colleges as “ongoing funds in the amount of $14,737,250.” Of this amount, Fresno City College is allocated $5.12 million.

This money will reportedly allow Fresno City College’s student services to survive amidst the Department of Education’s attempts to restrict funding for “Minority-Serving Institution grants that discriminate by restricting eligibility to institutions that meet government-mandated racial quotas,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said.