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.
HB2664 would amend Section 323 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, which governs federal grants intended to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The bill expands the list of allowable uses for those grant funds to include support for arts, arts education, and cultural programs at HBCUs. Specifically, it would authorize assistance for students in those programs, outreach and development offices, wraparound student services, preservation and protection of Black art collections, and paid apprenticeships, internships, and fellowships through partnerships with nonprofit arts institutions.
The bill also allows HBCUs to partner with the National Endowment for the Arts to carry out these activities and defines “arts” broadly to include performance, literary, visual, graphic, plastic, and decorative arts. Its findings emphasize the cultural and educational role of the arts, the underrepresentation of Black artists and professionals in museums and arts institutions, and the long-standing underfunding of HBCUs compared with predominantly white institutions.
If enacted, the bill would broaden federal HBCU grant authority under the Higher Education Act by adding arts-related and cultural uses to the permissible purposes for strengthening grants. It would not create a new grant program, but would expand how existing HBCU support funds may be spent, potentially affecting HBCUs, arts departments, students in arts and cultural programs, and partner organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and nonprofit arts institutions.
The bill appears to be positively framed and support-oriented, with a coalition of House Democrats introducing it and no recorded votes or committee debate in the provided materials. The findings and bill text present the measure as an investment in HBCUs, Black artists, and arts education, suggesting a generally favorable sentiment among its sponsors and likely supporters.
No formal opposition, amendments, or committee objections are included in the provided record. The main policy question implicit in the bill is whether federal HBCU grant funds should be expanded to cover arts and cultural programming, including collections management and partnerships with outside arts organizations. Any contention would likely center on funding priorities, the scope of allowable grant uses, and whether the proposal should be limited to arts-specific institutions or applied more broadly across HBCU programs.