HBCU Research Capacity Act

Federal HBCU Research Clearinghouse

This bill would create a Federal Clearinghouse on Grant Opportunities for Part B institutions (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) inside the Department of Education. It would be the main federal resource to list and clearly separate grants HBCUs are eligible for and grants they are exclusively eligible for. The Clearinghouse would focus on grants that support research and development and on building institutional research capacity. It would collect and publish best practices and recommendations, including from Federal, State, and local organizations and from annual Agency Plan submissions under the HBCU PARTNERS Act. The Secretary of Education would be able to assign staff and resources and accept detailees from Commerce, Energy, Defense, Agriculture, NSF, EPA, and NASA. The Clearinghouse activities would be exempt from the Paperwork Reduction Act and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The listed agencies would have to review their grant programs and report findings to Congress each year. The Secretary would notify every Part B institution and Congress when the Clearinghouse is published and offer quarterly updates to institutions that opt in. The bill does not set a specific appropriation and would be effective upon enactment.