Q. What is Title VI?

A. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 states that ”No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.” 42 U.S.C. § 2000d

Q. What is a recipient of federal financial assistance?

A. Recipients of federal funds range from state and local agencies to nonprofits and other organizations. Federal financial assistance includes grants, training, use of equipment, donations of surplus property, and other assistance. Subrecipients are covered when federal funds are passed down from a recipient to a subrecipient. A list of the types of recipients and the agencies funding them can be found at Executive Order 12250 Coordination of Grant-Related Civil Rights Statutes.

Title VI covers a recipient's entire program or activity. The provisions of Title VI apply even when federal funding is limited to one part of the recipient.

More information is at Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.

Q. What does Title VI do?

A. Title VI prohibits:

• Entities from discriminatorily denying a protected individual any service, financial aid, or other benefit under the covered programs and activities.
• Entities from providing services or benefits to some individuals that are different from or inferior (in quantity or quality) to those provided to others.
• Segregation or separate treatment in any manner related to receiving program services or benefits.
• Entities from imposing different standards or conditions as prerequisites for serving individuals.

Q. Who must comply?

A. The following must comply:

• State and local government agencies distributing federal assistance or entity distributing Federal assistance to the State or local government.
• Colleges, universities, and other post-secondary institutions
• Local educational agencies and systems of vocational education, and other school systems
• Entire corporations, partnerships, private organizations, and sole proprietorships
• Entire private organizations in education, housing, and healthcare
• Entire plants and private corporations, as well as other organizations that are geographically separate facilities to which federal financial assistance is extended.