New Research Funding Opportunity for Minority-Serving Institutions

New Research Funding Opportunity for Minority-Serving Institutions

Pam Blumenthal, Director of the Priority Projects and Innovation Division, Office of Policy Development and Research
Anne Fletcher, Director of the Program Evaluation Division, Office of Policy Development & Research

HUD's partnership with minority-serving institutions aims to advance knowledge in housing and community development research while strengthening research capacity within eligible universities.

On January 10, HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) published a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled Advancing HUD's Learning Agenda through Cooperative Agreements with Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions. Through this funding opportunity, PD&R is making $10 million available to support quality research that contributes to knowledge on housing and community development and to support minority-serving institutions (MSIs) conducting housing and community development research important to the communities and students these institutions serve. 

HUD, and PD&R specifically, have a long history of collaboration with MSIs. Starting in the 1970s with the role of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the Community Development Block Grant program, HUD's work with MSIs has supported housing and community development in communities nationwide. PD&R currently is supporting Research Centers of Excellence at HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). 

This new funding opportunity expands HUD's partnerships with MSIs to include Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) and Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions (ANNHs) and aims to advance knowledge in the field while strengthening research capacity within eligible MSIs. 

Areas of Focus for This New Funding Opportunity

HUD's Learning Agenda articulates a set of critical, policy-relevant research questions that can inform policy and practice related to housing and urban development at the federal, state, and local levels. This research can generate benefits beyond the immediate scope of the project and support broader applications, contribute to policy or program design, or enhance program implementation strategies. PD&R has identified a subset of research questions adapted from HUD's Learning Agenda that are the focus of this funding opportunity. The research questions are grouped under seven broad topic areas:

1. Community Development and Place-Based Initiatives
2. Disaster Recovery
3. Fair Housing
4. Homelessness
5. Homeownership, Asset Building, and Economic Opportunity
6. Housing and Health
7. American Indian, Alaska Native, and/or Native Hawaiian Housing Needs

PD&R is committed to incorporating a greater diversity of perspectives, methods, and researchers into HUD research and policy development and believes that MSIs are uniquely positioned to address the selected research questions and answer them in ways that amplify the impact of the findings at the state and local level. The funding opportunity encourages applicants to propose research methods that leverage the assets of the applicant institution, including its unique relationships with the community or communities that the institution serves. HUD is interested in funding research proposals that reflect a broad array of methodologies, including, but not limited to, controlled experiments, quasi-experimental studies, administrative data linkage and analysis, case studies, community-engaged research, ethnography, and other qualitative methods.

Resources for Potential Applicants

Eligible applicants for this funding opportunity include HBCUs, HSIs, TCUs, and ANNHs. Interested institutions are encouraged to visit PD&R's webpage for MSIs for a high-level overview of the current state of the research within each topic area, foundational studies that HUD has supported in each topic area, and the context for the selected research questions included in the NOFO.   

Applications are due on April 9, 2025. For more information on this funding opportunity and the eligible research questions, please visit HUD's NOFO website.