(a) Education grants program for Alaska Native serving institutions

(1) Grant authority

The Secretary of Agriculture may make competitive grants to Alaska Native serving institutions for the purpose of promoting and strengthening the ability of Alaska Native serving institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs.

(2) Use of grant funds

Grants made under this section shall be used—

(A) to support the activities of consortia of Alaska Native serving institutions to enhance educational equity for under represented students;

(B) to strengthen institutional educational capacities, including libraries, curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, in order to respond to identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agriculture sciences;

(C) to attract and support undergraduate and graduate students from under represented groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States, beginning with the mentoring of students at the high school level including by village elders and continuing with the provision of financial support for students through their attainment of a doctoral degree; and

(D) to facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more Alaska Native serving institutions, or between Alaska Native serving institutions and units of State government or the private sector, to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.

(3) Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to make grants under this subsection $10,000,000 in fiscal years 2001 through 2023.

(b) Education grants program for Native Hawaiian serving institutions

(1) Grant authority

The Secretary of Agriculture may make competitive grants to Native Hawaiian serving institutions for the purpose of promoting and strengthening the ability of Native Hawaiian serving institutions to carry out education, applied research, and related community development programs.

(2) Use of grant funds

Grants made under this section shall be used—

(A) to support the activities of consortia of Native Hawaiian serving institutions to enhance educational equity for under represented students, including permitting consortia to designate fiscal agents for the members of the consortia and to allocate among the members funds made available under this section;

(B) to strengthen institutional educational capacities, including libraries, curriculum, faculty, scientific instrumentation, instruction delivery systems, and student recruitment and retention, in order to respond to identified State, regional, national, or international educational needs in the food and agriculture sciences;

(C) to attract and support undergraduate and graduate students from under represented groups in order to prepare them for careers related to the food, agricultural, and natural resource systems of the United States, beginning with the mentoring of students at the high school level and continuing with the provision of financial support for students through their attainment of a doctoral degree; and

(D) to facilitate cooperative initiatives between two or more Native Hawaiian serving institutions, or between Native Hawaiian serving institutions and units of State government or the private sector, to maximize the development and use of resources, such as faculty, facilities, and equipment, to improve food and agricultural sciences teaching programs.

(3) Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to make grants under this subsection $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 through 2023.