Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Senator Katie Britt (R-AL) recently introduced a new bill to streamline federal funding opportunities for historically Black colleges and universities.
If passed, the HBCU Research Capacity Act would establish a federal clearinghouse of all available federal grant opportunities for HBCUs and help them apply for federal funding. The bill would amend Title III of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the U.S. Secretary of Education to coordinate with federal agencies to create a centralized website that lists these grant opportunities and shares best practices for building research capacity. The Secretary of Education would be required to assign personnel to administer the clearinghouse, provide written notification of the clearinghouse to HBCUs and Congress, and send an annual report regarding the clearinghouse to Congress, as well as a quarterly update to HBCUs upon their consent.
“I am proud to represent the state with the most HBCUs in the nation,” said Senator Britt. “As a former trustee to one of Alabama’s 14 HBCUs, I’ve seen firsthand how impactful these institutions are – I am a fierce advocate for their funding, not only in Alabama, but also nationwide. I’m proud to co-lead this commonsense legislation with Senator Warnock, which will help these institutions grow their research capacity and continue paving the way for generations of students.”
“HBCUs are incubators of diverse excellence and have proven their ability time and again to punch above their weight,” said Senator Warnock. “Despite not always having every tool at their disposal, they continue to make massive contributions to the research and development community. This bipartisan bill will make securing federal dollars for their research efforts that much easier, and I am proud to work alongside another champion of HBCUs in Senator Katie Britt.”
Senator Warnock, Georgia’s first elected Black senator, is an HBCU graduate. He earned his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College in Atlanta.
