A school watchdog group is filing a civil rights complaint with the Department of Education (DoE) against the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) over an alleged race-based scholarship.
Breitbart News exclusively learned of Defending Education’s (formerly Parents Defending Education) complaint to the DoE’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) ahead of its filing on Wednesday. The national grassroots organization, who says its mission is to “reclaim our schools from activists imposing harmful agendas,” alleges that UWM is” discriminat[ing] on the basis of race in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance in violation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI) and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.”
“Handing out scholarships based on skin color isn’t equity—it’s racism, repackaged,” Defending Education’s founder and president Nicole Neily told Breitbart News. “The University of Wisconsin-Madison is running a modern-day version of separate but equal, and the federal government is footing the bill. If Title VI means anything, this has to end. The Department of Education must shut it down now.”
OFFICE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS ADMINISTRATIVE COMPLAINT
The complaint specifically point’s to UWM’s Lawton Grant, or “The Lawton Undergraduate Minority Retention Grant program,” which was established in 1986 “to provide financial assistance to statutorily designated minority Wisconsin undergraduate students (African-American, Latino, Native American (American Indian/Eskimo) and Southeast Asians of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, or Hmong descent who entered the United States after December 31, 1975),” according to the grant webpage.
The scholarship is between $1,000 and $3,300 per academic year and can be received for a maximum of eight semesters or up to $16,000, the webpage and complaint state.
The Lawton Grants appears to be administers through UWM’s various schools and colleges including:
- College of Agricultural & Life Sciences
- College of Engineering
- College of Letters & Science
- School of Education
- School of Human Ecology
- School of Nursing
- School of Pharmacy
- Student Financial Aid
- Wisconsin School of Business
UWM lists eligibility criteria for the Lawson Grant as follows [emphasis added]:
- Be a Wisconsin resident.
- Identify as African-American, Latino, Native American (American Indian/Eskimo), Southeast Asian
of Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian, or Hmong decent. - Have reached sophomore standing or higher, but not yet received their first bachelor’s degree.
- Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) each year and it must show a Student
Aid Index (SAI) below 10,000 as well as financial need - Maintain a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA.
- Maintain full-time enrollment and complete at least 24 credits in the preceding academic year.
- Meet any other criteria as established by your school or college.
“According to the school, the program ‘was established back in 1986 to provide financial assistance to statutorily designated minority Wisconsin undergraduate students.’ Accordingly, it is a financial benefit granted expressly and unapologetically on the basis of race in violation of Title VI and the Constitution’s 14th Amendment,” the complaint alleges.
Defending Education alleges that the scholarship’s alleged “discrimination on the basis of race” raises concerns that the university has received federal funds in violation of Title VI, which states that “no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
The organization further points to Section 1 the 14th Amendment and Supreme Court decisions holding both racial segregation and affirmative action unconstitutional.
“The Department’s own guidance on Title VI clarifies that covered educational programs and activities may include, but are not limited to: ‘admissions, recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, student treatment and services, counseling and guidance, discipline, classroom assignment, grading, vocational education, recreation, physical education, athletics, and housing,'” the complaint continues.
“Accordingly, we ask that the Department promptly investigate the allegations in this complaint, act swiftly to remedy unlawful policies and practices, and order appropriate relief,” the complaint requests.
NEW: The Department of Education has opened investigations into 45 universities under Title VI for alleged impermissible use of race-exclusionary preferences, race-based scholarships, and/or race-based segregation. pic.twitter.com/V4emqXLIcr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) March 14, 2025
UWM is notably one of 45 universities already under investigation by the DoE’s OCR due to allegations that it has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act by partnering with “The Ph. D Project,” an organization that “purports to provide doctoral students with insights into obtaining a Ph.D. and networking opportunities, but limits eligibility based on the race of participants,” the department announced in March.
“The Department is working to reorient civil rights enforcement to ensure all students are protected from illegal discrimination,” U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement at the time. “The agency has already launched Title VI investigations into institutions where widespread antisemitic harassment has been reported and Title IX investigations into entities which allegedly continue to allow sex discrimination; today’s announcement expands our efforts to ensure universities are not discriminating against their students based on race and race stereotypes.”
“Students must be assessed according to merit and accomplishment, not prejudged by the color of their skin. We will not yield on this commitment,” she added.
The Department of Education said institutions that violate Title VI prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color, and national origin in education programs and activists could ultimately lose federal funds.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton
