A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 12, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
This bill amends the Higher Education Act to expand the ways that historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) can use federal grant funds meant to strengthen their institutions. Specifically, it allows HBCUs to use these grants to support arts education and programs, including providing financial assistance to arts students, establishing arts outreach programs, offering mentorship and career counseling, maintaining Black art collections, and creating paid internship and fellowship opportunities in the arts. The bill's findings note that HBCUs have been underfunded by $12.6 billion compared to predominantly White colleges over the past 30 years, and that arts programs at many institutions have faced severe budget cuts. The legislation defines "arts" broadly to include performance, literary, visual, graphic, plastic, and decorative forms, and allows HBCUs to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts to carry out these activities. The bill does not specify new funding amounts or implementation timelines, but rather authorizes existing HBCU grant funds to be redirected toward arts-related purposes.
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