# 2026-15778: NSF Rewrites Civil Rights Rules to Avoid Legal Headaches

2026-15778, Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the National Science Foundation, is a Federal Register rule from National Science Foundation published 2026-08-04, effective 2026-08-04; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-11).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15778
- As of: 2026-08-11
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-15778
- Title: Nondiscrimination in Federally Assisted Programs of the National Science Foundation
- Type: Rule
- Agencies: National Science Foundation
- Citation: 91 FR 49283
- Published: 2026-08-04
- Effective: 2026-08-04
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: 3145-AA74
- Last updated: 2026-08-11

## In one line

NSF Rewrites Civil Rights Rules to Avoid Legal Headaches

## Summary

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF or Foundation) is revising its regulations implementing Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI). NSF is taking this action to align the conduct prohibited by NSF's regulations with Title VI's text, avoid constitutional concerns, reduce compliance costs, serve the public interest, ensure consistency with the final rule recently issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ), and implement the direction outlined in Executive Order (E.O.) 14281.

## Effects PRIA read

- NSF grants: no disparate-impact liability: benefit, low. If you receive NSF federal grant funding, NSF says it will no longer enforce Title VI ‘‘disparate-impact’’ rules. NSF rescinds 45 CFR 611.3(b)(2), removes the words "or effect" from 45 CFR 611.3(b)(3), and rescinds 45 CFR 611.3(b)(6), 45 CFR 611.3(c)(4), and 45 CFR 611.5(6)-(7). This change takes e…

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## Sources
- [2026-15778 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/08/04/2026-15778/nondiscrimination-in-federally-assisted-programs-of-the-national-science-foundation)
- [2026-15778 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-08-04/pdf/2026-15778.pdf)

## Related
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Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-15778 (as of 2026-08-11).