Senator Reverend Warnock is one of two sitting U.S. Senators to graduate from one of the nation’s esteemed HBCUs

Senator Reverend Warnock has secured $267 million for Georgia’s HBCUs to date, and more than $7 billion in total for HBCU campuses across the country

Senator Reverend Warnock, lawmakers: “It is imperative that the scientific community reflects the diversity of America”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) urged key appropriations leaders to increase federal funding for research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and align funding efforts with the goals outlined in the CHIPS and Science Act.

In the letter, the senators emphasized Black and Hispanic underrepresentation in the STEM workforce when compared to their share of the total population, and highlighted the importance of the scientific community reflecting the diversity of America.

“As scientists and researchers work to discover life-savings cures and vaccines, develop ethical and unbiased applications of artificial intelligence, create innovative energy and transportation solutions, and explore the solar system, it is imperative that the scientific community reflects the diversity of America,” said Senator Reverend Warnock and the lawmakers.

“Research has shown that broadening the racial and ethnic makeup of the STEM workforce can push researchers to pursue a wider breadth of problems and foster better discoveries,” continued the senators.

“These programs have supported hundreds of projects that are training the next generation of minority scientists and researchers, while advancing American innovation in medicine, energy, transportation, engineering, technology, and more. […] As American innovation rises to meet the complex challenges of our society, it is critical that the workforce reflects the diverse pool of talent and potential that our nation has to offer,” the senators concluded.

Senator Reverend Warnock has successfully secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding for Georgia’s HBCUs, and more than $7 billion in total for HBCU campuses across the country. Additionally, Senator Reverend Warnock has pushed to strengthen state support for 1890’s land-grant colleges and universities, to ensure they get their fair share of funding, through the Land- Grant Research Equity and Accountability Act, and has passed legislation to honor first-generation college students.

In addition to Senator Warnock, the letter is signed by U.S. Senators Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Bob Casey Jr. (D-PA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Laphonza Butler (D-CA).

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below:

Dear Chair Shaheen and Ranking Member Moran,

We write to respectfully urge you to include in the Fiscal Year 2025 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill robust funding for, and report language related to, National Science Foundation’s efforts to expand research capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) and align these efforts with the goals and criteria of programs as outlined in Section 10524 of the CHIPS and Science Act.

American innovation in STEM research has brought impactful advancements in nearly every sector, from medicine to transportation. With these advancements comes an increasing demand for new research and technically skilled employees. According to the National Science Foundation, while the STEM workforce has increased dramatically over the last decade, Black and Hispanic workers are underrepresented in the STEM workforce when compared to their share of the total population. In addition, minority students are underrepresented among STEM degree recipients.

As scientists and researchers work to discover life-savings cures and vaccines, develop ethical and unbiased applications of artificial intelligence, create innovative energy and transportation solutions, and explore the solar system, it is imperative that the scientific community reflects the

diversity of America. Research has shown that broadening the racial and ethnic makeup of the STEM workforce can push researchers to pursue a wider breadth of problems and foster better discoveries.

In 2022, Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act (P.L. 117-167), which includes numerous provisions aimed at broadening STEM participation. Section 10524 directs the National Science Foundation to issue competitive grants to build institutional research capacity at HBCUs, MSIs, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and Alaska Native Serving Institutions that have limited federal research expenditures and lack high research activity status Section 10524 authorizes $1.2 billion over five years for this grant program and the Section 10523 grant program.

According to the National Science Foundation, a new grant program to satisfy Section 10524 has not been created, however, the following programs align with the goals of Section 10524:

• Centers of Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) Program: this program enhances the research capabilities of MSIs through the establishment of centers that effectively integrate education and research.

• Historically Black Colleges and Universities Excellence in Research (HBCU-EiR) Program: this program supports projects that enable STEM faculty to further develop research capacity at HBCUs.

• Growing Research Access for Nationally Transformative Equity and Diversity (GRANTED) Program: this program addresses systemic barriers within the nation’s research enterprise by improving research support and service capacity at emerging research institutions.

• Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program: this program enhances the quality of undergraduate STEM education and increases the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associates or baccalaureate degrees in STEM.

• Tribal Colleges and Universities Program (TCUP): this program provides funding to federally recognized Tribal Colleges and Universities, Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and Alaska Native-Serving Institutions to promote high quality STEM education and research.

These programs have supported hundreds of projects that are training the next generation of minority scientists and researchers, while advancing American innovation in medicine, energy, transportation, engineering, technology, and more. We urge you to robustly fund these programs and to include the following report language in the FY25 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill to ensure that the National Science Foundation can support expanding research capacity at America’s Minority-Serving Institutions:

The Committee supports NSF’s efforts to expand research capacity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions. The Committee encourages NSF to fully support these efforts and to align them with the goals and criteria of research capacity-building programs as outlined in Section 10524 of Public Law 117-167.

As American innovation rises to meet the complex challenges of our society, it is critical that the workforce reflects the diverse pool of talent and potential that our nation has to offer.

We appreciate your leadership in prioritizing funding for our Nation’s STEM research and education needs and look forward to continuing that work in this year’s appropriations process.

Sincerely,

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Title and affiliation are provided for identification purposes only. A pastor and social justice advocate, Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock was elected to the United States Senate in 2021 and reelected for a full term in 2022. The Senator serves on the Senate Agriculture, Banking, and Commerce committees, as well as the Senate Aging Committee.