HUDRD - HBCU Research Center of Excellence | FR 6600 N 29F

Opportunity Information: Apply for FR 6600 N 29F

HUDRD - HBCU Research Center of Excellence is a discretionary funding opportunity from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) designed to support major, policy-relevant research led by Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other eligible higher-education institutions. The core purpose is to fund multiple research projects that align with HUDs 2022-2026 Learning Agenda and the departments 2022-2026 Strategic Plan. Through this work, HUD aims to expand rigorous housing and community development research capacity at HBCUs by establishing up to three additional HBCU Centers of Excellence (COEs) or providing additional funding to a previously partially funded COE. The overall intent is not just to produce one-off studies, but to kick off an ongoing series of benchmark-style reports focused on housing, community development, and economic development conditions in underserved communities, with findings that can be used at national, regional, and local levels.

A key feature of the opportunity is its emphasis on research about underserved urban and rural communities from the perspective of institutions that are often rooted in and closely connected to those communities. HUD wants COEs to take a multidisciplinary approach that treats housing challenges as intertwined with broader community well-being, including economic and workforce development, health and health care, education, civic engagement, public safety, and other factors that shape community health. The expectation is that the COE will function as a thought leadership hub that not only conducts academic research, but also convenes experts and disseminates practical, evidence-based solutions. In other words, the work is meant to influence policy and practice across local, state, and national contexts by translating research into actionable recommendations.

The funded research is expected to produce benchmark reports that help the field measure conditions and trends over time, similar in spirit to outputs produced by prominent university-based housing research centers. HUD explicitly encourages applicants to consider how their proposed benchmarks might complement or be comparable to work produced by centers such as Harvard Universitys Joint Center for Housing Studies, New York Universitys Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy, the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies at the University of Florida, and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. At the same time, HUD is looking for context-specific approaches that reflect the realities and priorities of underserved communities, rather than relying solely on conventional frameworks.

Beyond the research itself, applicants are required to submit a detailed plan for building and sustaining the Center of Excellence over the long term, specifically beyond five years. This sustainability component is central: HUD wants funded COEs to use the initial portfolio of projects and reports as a launchpad to secure additional revenue streams and follow-on support, including funding from private enterprise and philanthropic organizations. Competitive proposals are expected to pair strong research designs with clear action plans, partnership strategies, and operational roadmaps that show how the COE will remain active, visible, and influential after the initial federal support ends.

HUD also signals strong interest in research that advances racial equity and improves understanding of structural disparities that limit fair housing choice and community development opportunity. Consistent with the federal focus on advancing racial equity for underserved communities, projects may examine how laws, policies, and institutional practices create or perpetuate unequal outcomes, and they should propose policy prescriptions that could address those disparities. The research topics should be framed around barriers to quality of life and economic mobility in underserved communities, with attention to sustainability and access in both rental and homeownership markets, particularly for minority residents. HUD emphasizes that projects should connect near-term strategies to long-term goals, for example increasing minority homeownership over time, and may include work on issues such as the production and availability of quality affordable housing, impact studies, and policy analysis of housing, community development, and economic development initiatives affecting historically marginalized populations.

Methodologically, HUD encourages applicants to bring forward innovative approaches rather than relying only on standard research playbooks. The opportunity explicitly welcomes proposals that use big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, as well as new partnership models such as academic consortia and collaboration with private entities or other federal agencies. Strong applications are expected to demonstrate the capacity to manage complex research, produce credible findings, and translate results into actionable recommendations, while also pushing into new territory with creative methods, multidisciplinary frameworks, and enhanced theories of change aimed at transformative outcomes.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, indicating that HUD may expect substantial involvement or collaboration during the period of performance compared with a more hands-off grant. The assistance listing is CFDA 14.536, and eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education. The opportunity anticipated up to three awards, with an award ceiling of $4,000,000. The funding opportunity number is FR 6600 N 29F, and it was originally posted on Aug 29, 2022, with an original closing deadline of Dec 22, 2022 at 11:59:59 PM Eastern.

• The US Department of Housing and Urban Development in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "HUDRD - HBCU Research Center of Excellence" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 14.536.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 29, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 22, 2022 The application deadline is 115959 PM Eastern Standard time on. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for FR 6600 N 29F

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