EXCLUSIVE — The nation’s largest network for scientists and chemists is facing a legal challenge over a scholarship program that allegedly blocks students from applying based on race.

The American Chemical Society, or ACS, is facing a federal lawsuit claiming its ACS Scholars Program unlawfully excludes white and Asian students, reserving eligibility for “historically underrepresented” groups such as black, Hispanic, and Native American applicants. The complaint, filed in Washington D.C. federal court by the nonprofit organization Do No Harm, argues that the program violates the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.