Sponsors (4)
The bill makes it easier for Part B HBCUs to find, compete for, and coordinate around federal research funding through a centralized Clearinghouse and stronger interagency links, but it creates new taxpayer-funded administrative costs, recurring reporting burdens (often without added funding), and some transparency trade-offs from procedural exemptions.
Part B HBCUs (and their students/staff) will have a centralized federal Clearinghouse and regular notices that make it substantially easier to find and apply for federal research and grant opportunities.
Federal agencies detailing personnel to the Clearinghouse and annual reporting to Congress will strengthen interagency coordination and oversight, increasing the likelihood of more equitable R&D funding for HBCUs.
The Clearinghouse will provide tailored best practices and recommendations to build research capacity at Part B HBCUs, improving their competitiveness for federal R&D awards.
Creating and operating the Clearinghouse plus required notices and reports will increase federal administrative costs funded by taxpayers.
New and recurring reporting and coordination duties impose administrative burdens on federal agencies and on HBCUs (data collection, monitoring, staff time), often without dedicated funding, diverting staff time from other program work.
If the Clearinghouse is underfunded or Congress does not follow through with new grants, the initiative may be ineffective and raise unmet expectations among HBCUs and researchers.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Creates a federal Clearinghouse to list R&D grant opportunities and best practices for HBCUs and requires agencies to review grants and report gaps to Congress.
Introduced April 14, 2026 by French Hill · Last progress April 14, 2026
Creates a federal Clearinghouse inside the Department of Education to list and highlight federal research and development grant opportunities and best practices specifically for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It requires the Department and eight federal research agencies to notify HBCUs, provide regular reports and optional quarterly updates, review agency grant programs for alignment with Clearinghouse guidance, identify gaps where no federal grant supports recommended activity, and report those gaps annually to Congress.