((a)) ** Grant authority** The Secretary may make competitive grants to Hispanic-serving institutions for the purpose of promoting and strengthening the ability of Hispanic-serving institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs.

((b)) ** Use of grant funds** Grants made under this section shall be used—

((1)) to support the activities of Hispanic-serving institutions to enhance educational equity for underrepresented students;

((2)) to strengthen institutional educational capacities, including libraries, curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, in order to respond to identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agricultural sciences;

((3)) to attract and support undergraduate and graduate students from underrepresented groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States, beginning with the mentoring of students at the high school level and continuing with the provision of financial support for students through their attainment of a doctoral degree; and

((4)) to facilitate cooperative initiatives between 2 or more Hispanic-serving institutions, or between Hispanic-serving institutions and units of State government or the private sector, to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.

((c)) ** Authorization of appropriations** There are authorized to be appropriated to make grants under this section $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 2023.