Laws and Regulations

Federal civil rights laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, and age in all programs and activities that receive Federal financial assistance. These laws also prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities conducted by colleges and universities.  These protections apply in all settings where research, educational programs, conferences, and other activities are supported by NIH, and apply to all mechanisms of support (i.e., grant awards, contracts, and cooperative agreements).  The civil rights laws protect NIH-supported investigators, students, fellows, postdocs, participants in research, and other individuals involved in activities supported by NIH.

Please take a moment to review the list of statutes prohibiting discrimination with which NIH and its awardees are obligated to comply: https://www.edi.nih.gov/policy/statutes

For more information on enforcement of civil rights laws, please visit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR).

For more information about Title IX, please visit the Department of Education (DOE) Office for Civil Rights.

For more information on the effect of the 2022 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 117-103) requiring NIH-funded institutions to report personnel changes to an NIH grant that are related to harassment, see the NIH Grants and Funding webpage on supporting a safe and respectful workplace at institutions that receive NIH funding.