HBCU Research Capacity Act

Key Points

• This bill creates a central office called a Clearinghouse to help Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) find and apply for federal research money. It brings together several big agencies like NASA, the EPA, and the Department of Defense to share information in one place.
• The goal is to help these schools build up their labs and staff so they can do more high level research. Right now, HBCUs graduate a large number of Black students in science and math, but they receive less than 1 percent of the billions of dollars the government spends on college research each year.
• Federal agencies will be required to review their own grant programs and report back to Congress on how they can better support these schools. The Department of Education will also send quarterly updates to any HBCU that wants to stay informed about new funding opportunities.
• By making it easier to find and win grants, the policy aims to fix long standing funding gaps. This is intended to help the whole country by bringing more diverse voices and ideas into national security, technology, and medical research.

Impact Analysis

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