WASHINGTON – April 23, 2021 – BSA | The Software Alliance led a group of prominent technology companies in a letter urging the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to include robust funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) in the FY2022 federal appropriations bills.

“Diversity drives innovation and creativity – two traits that are key to the success of the tech industry. By investing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions, Congress has the chance to grow the skilled, inventive workforce America needs to compete globally,” said Victoria Espinel, President and CEO of BSA | The Software Alliance. “We urge the House and Senate Appropriations Committees to support these programs and help to eliminate past disparities in HBCU funding.”

The letter, which was signed by Adobe Inc., Atlassian, Autodesk, BSA, DocuSign, IBM, Informatica, Intel, Microsoft, Okta, Oracle, Salesforce, ServiceNow, and Siemens, also supports efforts to double the maximum value of a federal Pell Grant, which would increase support for HBCUs and MSIs.

Read the letter to the House Appropriations Committee here and the letter to the Senate Appropriations Committee here.