WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released a $5 million notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to fund research at one or more Research Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The funded Centers will conduct research projects on topics of strategic interest to HUD and produce research that provides evidence-based solutions to housing, community development, economic development, or built environment challenges in underserved communities.

“Here at HUD, we are always looking for new, creative, and evidence-based ways to create affordable housing. It is also important that we work with institutions that prioritize Black and brown communities, to ensure we understand the full spectrum of need,” said HUD Acting Secretary Adrianne Todman. “We are making another $5 million available to HBCUs to invest in housing and community development research, so all of us, together, can build affordable and resilient communities.”

“The HBCU Research Centers of Excellence program at HUD is designed to help support and build capacity at HBCUs to conduct innovative, community-informed and actionable research to support policymaking and change around some of the nation’s most pressing housing, community development and urban development challenges,” said Solomon Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research. “This funding will bolster efforts HBCUs are making to expand opportunities for underserved communities and strengthen community development.”

In 2023, HUD awarded $5.5 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to Texas Southern University and North Carolina A&T University to establish or bolster existing Centers of Excellence (COEs) that conduct housing and community development research.

Last week, the Biden-Harris Administration announced a new record in Federal funding and investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) – totaling more than $16 billion from Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through current available data for FY 2024.

HUD expanded its Research Centers of Excellence program last year to include Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), awarding a total of $10.5 million in grant awards to four HSIs. The Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) recently launched a new website that includes information about previous awards that support seven Research Centers of Excellence at HBCUs and HSIs.