The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced new initiatives to support HBCUs on July 31. It is set to launch a $2.5 million competitive grant opportunity later this year. EPA will also appoint an HBCU Outreach and Engagement Liaison and create the agency’s very first HBCU-MSI Federal Advisory Council.
“HBCUs produce some of the best and brightest minds our country has to offer,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said in a press release. “At every level of this Administration, including Vice President Kamala Harris, HBCU graduates are delivering real results, and we’re more committed than ever to partnering and empowering HBCU students and leaders across the country. At EPA, HBCUs have a permanent seat at our table, so that these institutions remain at the forefront of the environmental movement.”
EPA’s new grant will help support collaboration among HBCU students and faculty by funding projects advancing “workforce development, environmental education and capacity building.” It will also fund projects targeting “environmental justice, climate change, water quality and land health on campuses and in surrounding communities.”
The appointment of a permanent HBCU Outreach and Engagement Liaison at the agency will ensure communication and advisory over funding opportunities, EPA resources and more. In setting up an HBCU-MSI Federal Advisory Council, EPA vowed to give expert support to HBCUs and promote diversity in the agency’s workforce. The council, which will be announced this coming fall, will feature various representatives in academia, industry, community organizations and local governments across the country.
The new initiatives were announced as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to investing in HBCUs and to “reflect EPA’s commitment to achieving real results that empower students and support the communities that HBCUs serve.” EPA also noted the historic underfunding of HBCUs by the federal government and the importance of “providing essential opportunities for economic mobility and academic advancement.”
EPA had previously established an internal advisory council to strengthen its ties with HBCUs in 2022. The most recent announcement came from discussions between Regan and leaders from Jackson State University, Tougaloo College and Texas Southern University during his Journey to Justice Tour, during which the need for funding and additional opportunities were addressed.
