Title VI’s Protection from Discrimination

Title VI prohibits recipients of Federal financial assistance from discriminating based on race, color, 

or national origin. This includes a prohibition on discrimination, including harassment, based on an

individual’s actual or perceived: (i) shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics; or (ii) citizenship or 

residency in a country with a dominant religion or distinct religious identity.

Title VI also prohibits discrimination 

based on race, color, or national origin

against individuals of any religion, 

including those who are Jewish, 

Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, or

Buddhist, when the discrimination, for 

example, involves:

• Racial, ethnic, or ancestral slurs or stereotypes;

• How an individual looks, including skin color, physical 

features, or style of dressthat reflects both ethnic and 

religious traditions;

• An individual’sforeign accent;

• An individual’s foreign name, including names 

commonly associatedwith particularshared ancestry 

or ethnic characteristics; or

• An individual who speaks a foreign language.

Fact Sheet

Protecting Individuals from Discrimination Based on

an Actual or Perceived Shared Ancestry or Ethnic 

Characteristics

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity (OCRE) 

enforces Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VI), 42 U.S.C. § 2000d, etseq., and itsimplementing 

regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 22, which prohibitsrace, color, and national origin discrimination by recipients of

Federal financial assistance from the Department of the Treasury. This fact sheet describes ways this 

protection covers individuals who are or are perceived to be Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, 

Buddhist, or of another religious group.

What can a person do if they experience discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic 

characteristics by a program or activity that receives financial assistance from the Department of the 

Treasury?

Anyone who believes that a recipient of Treasury financial assistance has discriminated against them 

based on race, color, or national origin can file a complaint of discrimination with OCRE within 180 days

of the alleged discrimination. To file a complaint, send a complaint letter to: U.S. Department of the 

Treasury, Director, Office Civil Rights and Equal Employment Opportunity, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave, N.W., 

Washington, DC 20220 or by email to crcomplaints@treasury.gov.
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Fact Sheet

Discrimination Based on an Actual or Perceived Shared Ancestry or Ethnic Characteristics

What Treasury programs are included in the protection against discrimination based on ancestry or ethnic 

characteristics?

Title VI applies to recipients of federal financial assistance, including grantees under programs administered by 

the U.S. Department of the Treasury bureaus, such as the Departmental Offices (DO), Internal Revenue Service 

(IRS), and the U.S. Mint. 

Additional resources about an individual’s right to non-discrimination and related resources can be found on the

OCRE civilrightswebpage at: https://home.treasury.gov/about/offices/diversity-equity-inclusion-andaccessibility/civil-rights-and-equal-employment-opportunity/federally-assisted-programs-and-federally-conductedprograms 

Additional compliance information for the recipients of Treasury financial assistance is available by accessing 

the https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/306/CR_TK_OCRE_508.pdf (Treasury Civil Rights Toolkit)

Other federal agencies enforce laws that expressly prohibit religious discrimination. For example, complaints of

religious discrimination in employment can be brought to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

(EEOC), in housing to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and by public schools 

and collegesto the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). 

Please note this resource does not have the force and effect of law. Treasury’s enforcement of Title VI stems 

from Title VI and its implementing regulations.