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The Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) program is designed to assist HBCUs expand their role and effectiveness in addressing community development needs in their localities. These needs include neighborhood revitalization, housing, and economic development, principally for persons of low- and moderate-income consistent with the purposes of Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended.

Eligible Applicants. Only HBCUs as determined by the U.S. Department of Education in 34 CFR 608.2 in accordance with that Department's responsibilities under Executive Order 13256, dated February 12, 2002, are eligible to apply for funding under the program. All applicants must be accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the Department of Education.

Eligible Activities. Each activity proposed for funding must meet both a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program national objective AND the CDBG eligibility requirements. The national objectives are listed in 24 CFR 570.208. Eligible activities are described in 24 CFR part 570. Examples of eligible activities include:

• Acquisition of real property.
• Clearance and demolition.
• Rehabilitation of residential structures, including lead-based paint hazard evaluation and reduction and making accessibility modifications in accordance with the requirements of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) and visitability modifications in accordance with the policy priorities described in HUD's Notice of Funding Availability General Section.
• Acquisition, construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, or installation of public facilities and improvements, such as water and sewer facilities and streets compliance with accessibility requirements such as those under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794) and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101).
• Special economic development activities described at 24 CFR 570.203 and assistance to facilitate economic development by providing technical or financial assistance for the establishment, stabilization, and expansion of microenterprises, including minority enterprises.
• Assistance to community-based development organizations (CBDOs) to carry out neighborhood revitalization,community economic development, or energy conservation projects, in accordance with 24 CFR 570.204. This could include activities in support of a HUD-approved local entitlement grantee, CDBG Neighborhood Revitalization Strategy (NRS) or HUD-approved State CDBG Community Revitalization Strategy (CRS).
• Public service activities such as those general support activities that can help to stabilize a neighborhood and contribute to sustainable redevelopment of the area, including but not limited to such activities as those concerned with employment, crime prevention, childcare, healthcare services, drug abuse, education, fair housing counseling, energy conservation, homebuyer downpayment assistance, establishment of Neighborhood Networks centers in federally assisted or insured housing, job training and placement, and recreational needs.
• Direct homeownership assistance to low- and moderate-income persons, as provided in section 105(a)(25) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5305(a)(25)).
• There is a maximum allowance for administrative cost. Up to 20 percent of the grant may be used for payments of reasonable grant administrative costs related to planning and executing the project (for example, preparation/submission of HUD reports). Detailed explanations of these costs are provided in OMB circular A–21, Cost Principles for Educational Institutions that can be accessed at the White House website at www.whitehouse.gov/omb/circulars/index.html.
• These funds are not for the direct benefit of the institution; 51 percent or more of all funds must be utilized for the community and/or general public.
• Fair housing services designed to further the civil rights objectives of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601–20) by making all persons, without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, and/or disability aware of the range of housing opportunities available to them.

Program Contact

Ophelia H. Wilson
Grant Specialist
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of University Partnerships
Room 8106
451 Seventh Street, SW
Washington, DC 20410
Telephone: (202) 402–4390
Fax: (202) 708–0309
Email: ophelia.wilson@hud.gov