Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) punch far above their weight.HBCUs enroll just 9 to 10 percent of Black undergraduates. They produce roughly 20 to 25 percent of all Black STEM graduates. Despite that impact, they receive less than 1 percent of the nation’s $60 billion in federal research funding. Lawmakers now aim to close that gap through new legislation.Sens. Raphael Warnock- Morehouse ’91 (D-Ga.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced the HBCU Research Capacity Act. The bipartisan bill would create a centralized federal clearinghouse. The system would help HBCUs identify and apply for research grants.“I introduced a bipartisan bill with Senator Katie Britt of Alabama to establish a federal website that consolidates funding opportunities for our Historically Black Colleges and Universities—projects related to research and development and building their capacity to do research,” Warnock said during a press conference with HBCU student journalists.Warnock said the bill focuses on making federal funding more accessible.“What my bill does is streamline the process and put information at their fingertips that may be harder to find than you think,” he said. “Individual schools can better coordinate, plan and implement their strategy for winning research dollars.”The legislation requires the Secretary of Education to assign personnel to manage the clearinghouse. It also requires officials to notify HBCUs and Congress when it launches. The department would provide regular updates and reports on available funding opportunities.
