The HBCU Research Capacity Act establishes a Federal Clearinghouse on Grant Opportunities for Historically Black Colleges and Universities to help these institutions identify and access federal research funding and build research capacity. The bill addresses a significant disparity: while HBCUs enroll 8.5 percent of Black undergraduate students and produce 18 percent of Black STEM bachelor's degree recipients, they receive less than 1 percent of the roughly $60 billion in federal research and development funding distributed to colleges and universities. The Clearinghouse, coordinated by the Department of Education working with eight federal agencies (including the National Science Foundation, Department of Energy, and NASA), will compile comprehensive information on grant opportunities and best practices available to HBCUs. Federal agencies must conduct annual reviews of their grant programs to identify how they can implement the Clearinghouse's recommendations and report gaps to Congress. The bill requires the Secretary of Education to notify HBCUs when the Clearinghouse launches and provide quarterly updates to institutions that request them, ensuring that eligible schools have better access to information about federal research funding opportunities.
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