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A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.
Summary
This bill amends the Higher Education Act of 1965 to expand the permitted uses of federal grant funds for historically Black colleges and universities to include arts, arts education, and cultural programs. The bill adds five new allowable uses for HBCU grant funds: providing financial assistance to arts students, establishing arts outreach programs and development offices, providing support services like mentorship and career guidance for arts students, maintaining and protecting Black art collections, and supporting apprenticeships and fellowships in the arts through nonprofit partnerships. The bill also allows HBCUs to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts to carry out these activities and defines "arts" to include performance, literary, visual, graphic, plastic, and decorative arts.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
1 cosponsor
Actions (2)
- May 12, 2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. · senate
- May 12, 2026 Introduced in Senate
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Full text
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 12, 2026
Ms. Alsobrooks (for herself and Mr. Justice) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
A BILL
To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to a 2021 study by Americans for the Arts, the arts are an invaluable aspect of American society, as they strengthen the economy, improve healthcare, spark creativity and innovation, and unify communities, with 73 percent of participants agreeing that the arts help them to better understand other cultures.
(2) Many United States museums are grappling with diversity. Studies report that only 1.4 percent of artists featured in America’s top museums are black, only 4 percent of staff directors at top museums are Black, and only 2.5 percent of Black Americans are owners of Arts-Entertainment business.
(3) Historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, are uniquely positioned to produce a diverse generation of art professionals and help bring much needed attention to works by Black artists. HBCUs have historically served as long-standing conservators and crucial supporters of Black art and for the teaching, supporting, and displaying of essential Black artists who may otherwise have remained unrecognized.
(4) Arts programs and arts departments are expensive and have often fallen victim to funding shortfalls. In 2018, the College Art Association reported that at least 18 institutions of higher education planned to severely curtail or eliminate their arts departments.
(5) HBCUs have also been underfunded by $12,600,000,000 compared to their predominantly White counterparts over the last 30 years. Some HBCUs have shrunk, consolidated, or cut their arts programs due to limited resources.
(6) An increased investment in HBCU arts, arts education, and culture programs can further help students of color access an affordable arts education and ensure the continued preparation, conservation, display, and study of works by Black artists.
SEC. 2. STRENGTHENING HISTORICALLY BLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.
Section 323 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1062) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (14) and (15) as paragraphs (19) and (20), respectively; and
(B) by inserting after paragraph (13) the following:
“(14) Providing financial and other assistance to students in arts, arts education, and cultural programs.
“(15) Establishing outreach programs and development offices for arts, arts education, and cultural departments.
“(16) Providing comprehensive wraparound services for arts, arts education, and cultural students, including faculty and peer mentorship, work-based learning opportunities, guidance counseling, and career advising.
“(17) Exhibiting, maintaining, monitoring, and protecting Black art collections in exhibition and in storage.
“(18) Providing well-paid apprenticeship, internship, and fellowship opportunities to students in arts, arts education, and cultural programs through partnerships with nonprofit arts, arts education, and cultural institutes.”; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
“(d) National Endowment for the Arts.—An institution may enter into a partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts to carry out the activities described in paragraphs (14) through (18) of subsection (a).
“(e) Definition.—In this section, the term ‘arts’ means art forms used for self-expression and interpretation, including performance, literary, visual, graphic, plastic, and decorative arts.”. <all>
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