HUDRD - Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Research Center of Excellence

on topics highlighted in the Learning Agenda will enable the establishment of up to three Hispanic Serving Institution(s) Centers of Excellence (COE). Pursuant to 20 U.S.C.1101a (a)(5) a Hispanic-Serving Institution "means an institution of higher education that (A) is an eligible institution; and  (B) has enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application." https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2020-title20/pdf/USCODE-2020-title20-chap28-subchapV-partA-sec1101a.pdf. All applicants must be institutions of higher education granting two-or four-year degrees that are fully accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.  Institutions are not required to be on the list of eligible HSIs prepared by the U.S. Department of Education.  However, an institution that is not on the list is required to provide a statement in the application that the institution meets the U.S. Department of Education’s statutory definition of an HSI as cited above.  If an applicant is one of several campuses of the same institution, the applicant may apply separately from the other campuses if the campus has a separate DUNS/UEI number, administrative structure, and budget, and meets the enrollment requirements outlined above. In addition to the topics listed in the Learning Agenda, applicants are invited to submit research proposals on other topics that address issues or challenges that impact housing, community and economic development, and the built environment in and for underserved communities.  The following list of topics is not intended to be exhaustive:  equity issues in local housing markets, broadly defined to include production and preservation, rental and homeownership, tenant protections, zoning and land use, property appraisals, property taxation, and other topics; building codes, standards, and construction technologies (including offsite/factory-built housing); “green” or energy-efficient practices in housing and carbon reduction strategies; disaster preparedness, and climate resilient planning and construction, and disaster recovery; innovative solutions that allow residents of HUD-assisted rental housing and other low-income renters to access economic opportunities, quality education, affordable transportation, health care, essential services, green-space and cultural amenities; and, housing and community planning that addresses the needs of and engages underserved communities.The research projects are intended to initiate an ongoing series of reports focused on housing, community and economic development, and the built environment in underserved communities that can serve as national, local, or regional benchmarks and assist in support of COE(s) that expand the housing and community development research efforts at Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). Applicants are encouraged to consider the work of other university-based housing research centers, such as the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University; Depaul University Institute for Housing Studies; Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies; the Housing Initiative at Penn; New York University’s 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 the University of California Berkeley, that sometimes focus on national issues, but largely focus on local or regional housing and community development issues. Applicants are also encouraged to consider the Centers of Excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), funded through past HUD grants. https://www.hud.gov/press/press_releases_media_advisories/HUD_No_21_153.  The research projects, proposed by the awardee, will focus on topics of interest to the Department and in serving underserved communities from the unique perspective of institutions that are often located in, and serve the residents of underserved communities.The COE should take a multidisciplinary approach to housing, community, and economic development research, and through innovative methods study the social and economic factors that create healthy communities. Ultimately, the purpose of the COE should be to support evidence-based policy at the local, state, and national levels, using the research it undertakes to identify and evaluate innovative approaches to housing and community and economic development. In addition to identifying research projects, the awardee will be required to develop and submit a detailed plan for the development and long-term sustainment (beyond 5 years) of a Center of Excellence to carry on the work of the initial reports and to serve as a focus of thought leadership and alternative analysis of the issues related to underserved communities. The COE will serve as a platform for the formulation, analysis, and dissemination of innovative, evidence-based solutions to address problems confronting underserved communities. The COE will perform academic research, hold expert convenings, and conduct related activities designed to advance understanding of economic and social factors that affect communities, including housing, economic and workforce development, health and health care, education, civic engagement, public safety, and other dimensions of community health. Through academic programs, research projects and thought leadership, the COE will help leaders across all levels of government, as well as the business and civic sectors, address critical issues that impact the social and economic well-being of the families and individuals who reside in underserved communities.This program intends to fund a series of research reports that will apply new and context-specific approaches and methods to studying challenges faced by urban and rural communities. The findings of these reports will impact policy relevant research at HUD.  The Department seeks HSIs with demonstrated capacity to conduct complex research and devise actionable policy recommendations. At the same time, HUD encourages applicants to propose building on their demonstrated experience to do something new and innovative. HUD encourages the submission of proposals that draw on novel research approaches, including big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence; community-engaged and participatory research; and novel partnerships such as academic consortia, and collaboration with private entities or other federal agencies. Competitive applications will include action and sustainability plans, creative partnerships and collaboration models, multidisciplinary and holistic methodologies, and new or enhanced theory of change models designed to achieve transformative outcomes.The funds made available under this NOFO will make awards for recipients to undertake multiple research projects. This opportunity will allow the COE(s) to use this work to leverage other streams of revenue, including from private enterprise and private philanthropic organizations, to support ongoing and sustainable operations and activities.As noted in the Presidential Executive Order 13985 on Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, HUD is particularly interested in research to better understand the disparities in our laws and public policies, and in our public and private institutions, that may deny equal housing and community building opportunities to individuals in underserved communities. HUD seeks policy prescriptions that might address these disparities, the results of which would widely be available for application in the field. As such, proposals should address barriers to improving the quality of life and creating a pathway to economic success in underserved communities. The research should take the view of both short- and long-term strategies. Research must be framed toward a long-term goal (e.g., improving minority homeownership).