Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race, color, or national origin in programs or activities receiving federal financial assistance. All federal agencies that provided grants of assistance are required to enforce the Title VI regulation.

The U.S. Department of Education gives grants of financial assistance to schools and colleges and to certain other entities, including vocational rehabilitation programs. The Title VI regulation describes the conduct that violates Title VI.   Examples of discrimination covered by Title VI include racial harassment, school segregation, and denial of language services to national-origin-minority students who are limited in their English. The U.S. Department of Education Title VI regulation is enforced by OCR and is in the federal code of regulations at 34 CFR 100.

The Title VI regulation prohibits retaliation for filing an OCR complaint or for advocacy for a right protected by Title VI. Title VI also prohibits employment discrimination, but the protection against employment discrimination under Title VI is limited. As a result, most complaints OCR receives raising race, color, or national-origin discrimination in employment are referred to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.