Higher Education Institutional Aid

 

To help eligible colleges and universities to strengthen their management and fiscal operations and to assist such institutions to plan, develop, or implement activities including endowment building to strengthen the academic quality of their institutions.

General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
84.031
Federal Agency/Office
Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Not applicable.
Authorization
Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA). Title III, Part A, Part B and Part F, Title V, Part A and B.
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
An institution of higher education (IHE) that qualifies as eligible using criteria as specified in the regulations. Under Part A, specific and basic requirements as stated in the program regulations must be met. Eligible applicants include institutions that have: (1) A low average per full-time equivalent (FTE) educational and general expenditures; (2) a substantial percentage of students having Pell Grants or other Federal need-based financial aid. However, a waiver of the low educational and general expenditure requirement and the needy student enrollment requirement may be granted to institutions meeting the criteria specified in the existing regulations. Under Part B HBCUs, historically Black institutions that were established prior to 1964, whose principal mission was, and is, the education of African Americans are eligible. A listing of those institutions is published in program regulations; these HBCUs are also eligible under the Endowment Challenge Grant Program. Institutions eligible for PBI program grants are defined in Title III Section 318(b) of the HEA. Institutions eligible for HBGI program grants are specified in Title III Section 326(e)(1) of the HEA. Under the Title V programs, an HSI is defined as an institution that has an enrollment of undergraduate full-time equivalent students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic as specified in Section 502 of the HEA.
Beneficiary Eligibility
Applicant institutions of higher education, including those in the territories and possessions that meet statutory eligibility requirements will benefit.
Credentials/Documentation
Institutions must document that they are accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or that they are making satisfactory progress toward such accreditation. A 4-year institution must have authority to award a bachelor's degree. A 2-year institution must offer a program acceptable for full credit towards a bachelor's degree, or a 2-year program in engineering, mathematics, or the physical or biological sciences designed to prepare the student to work as a technician at a semiprofessional level.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is required. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. See above.
Application Procedure
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Applications for funding are available from the Institutional Services office at the Department of Education. Application deadlines are published in the Federal Register.
Award Procedure
Title III Part A applicants in the SIP, ANNH, AANAPISI, and NASNTI programs and Title V applications are evaluated by external reviewers who are experts in postsecondary education. The Department makes final awards based primarily on the scores assigned to the applications by the external reviewers and the recommendations submitted by the staff of the Institutional Service, Office of Postsecondary Education at the Department of Education. Title III applicants in the TCCUs, PBIs, HBCUs, and HBGIs programs make final awards based on a statutory formula.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
Approximately six months.
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
Under the SIP, priority is given to applicants who are not already receiving a grant. Institutions that received a 5-year individual development grant are not eligible to receive an additional grant until 2 years after the date on which the 5-year terminates. After fulfilling the wait-out requirement, institutions applying for another grant under the SIP must reapply for eligibility.
How are proposals selected?
(a) Under Title III and Title V, the Department appoints review panels to provide comments and recommend ratings for the applications. The reviewers numerically rate each application assigned and provide the Secretary with comments on each. Criteria are published in the Federal Register along with the point value for each criterion. (b) Under TCCUs, HBCUs, HBGIs, and PBIs, funds are allocated based on a statute-driven formula. For Strengthening TCCUs, applicants are limited to tribal colleges and universities, including institutions qualifying for funding under the Tribally Controlled College or University Assistance Act of 1978 or the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978, or cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land Grant Status Act of 1994. To be eligible to receive a grant under the Strengthening HBCUs program, an institution must be designated by the Secretary of Education as a Historically Black College or University. HBGIs receiving discretionary grants are specified in the program statute. To be eligible to receive a grant under the Strengthening PBIs program, an institution must have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 40 percent Black American students; that is at least 1,000 undergraduate students of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students enrolled at the institution are low-income individuals or first-generation college students (as that term is defined in Section 402A(g)); and of which not less than 50 percent of the undergraduate students are enrolled in an educational program leading to a bachelor's or associate's degree that the institution is licensed to award by the State in which the institution is located.
How may assistance be used?
Eligible institutions may apply under Part A, Part B or Part F of Title III of the HEA, or Title V of the HEA. Title III Part A includes Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-serving (ANNH) institutions, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving Institutions (AANAPISI), Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). Title III Part B includes the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) program and the Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) program. Title III Part A provides funds to eligible institutions to plan, develop, and implement activities for development of faculty, fund, and administrative management, and improvement of academic programs, acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening academic programs and institutional management, and joint use of facilities such as libraries, laboratories, and student services. Title III Part B provides funds to undergraduate HBCUs and graduate HBGIs. Funds may be used for purchase, rental, or lease of scientific equipment; construction, maintenance, renovation, improvement in classroom, library and other instructional facilities; support of faculty exchanges and fellowships; academic instruction in disciplines in which African Americans are underrepresented, purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational materials; tutoring, counseling, and student services; funds and administrative management; acquisition of equipment for use in funds management; endowment funds; and joint use of facilities. Title V Part A, Developing Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) program provides funds to eligible HSIs for activities such as: faculty development; funds and administrative management; development and improvement of academic programs; endowment funds; curriculum development; scientific or laboratory equipment for teaching; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; joint use of facilities; academic tutoring; counseling programs; student support services, purchase of educational materials; articulation agreements; creating facilities for distance learning technologies; teacher education programs; K-12 community outreach programs; and the expansion of graduate and professional programs. Title V Part B, Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans program provides funds to eligible HSIs for activities such as: purchase or rental of scientific or laboratory equipment; construction or renovation of instructional facilities; purchase of educational materials; support for low-income postbaccalaureate students; support of academic instruction and faculty and curricular development; creating facilities for distance learning technologies; and collaboration with other institutions of higher education to expand postbaccalaureate offerings. Title III, Part F, Section 371 authorizes funds for Hispanic-serving Institutions STEM and Articulation Programs to support the kinds of activities being supported under the existing Title V program, except that priority is given for applications that propose to increase the number of Hispanic and other low-income students attaining degrees in fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and to applications that propose to develop model transfer and articulation agreements between the 2-year and 4-year HSIs in such fields. Funds provided for Title III and Title V may not be used for activities other than those in an approved application, activities that are inconsistent with any applicable State plan of higher education or State plan for desegregation, a school or department of divinity or any religious worship or sectarian activity; general operating and maintenance expenses; indirect costs; or supplanting of other funds available to the institution. These programs are subject to non-supplanting requirements and must use a restricted indirect cost rate which is referenced under 34 CFR 76.563. For assistance call the Office of Chief Financial Officer/Indirect Cost Group on (202) 377-3838.
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Performance Reports: Reporting on performance measures is required as part of the submittal of the required annual performance report.
Auditing
Subject to a Federal audit any time during the term of the grant and within a period of 3 years after the termination of Federal support.
Records
Must be retained for 3 years after the end of the fiscal year during which the expenditures were made or until the grantee is notified that the records are no longer needed.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory Formula: Funds are allocated to TCCUs, PBIs, HBCUs, and HBGIs based on a statutory formula. Title III, Part A, Section 316(d); Title III Part A, Section 320; Title III, Part B, Sections 324 and 326(f) of the HEA (P.L. 89-329).

Matching is voluntary. Under the SIP, TCCUs, ANNAPISIs, HBCUs, HBGIs, and HSIs, institutions of higher education may use no more than 20 percent of grant funds to establish or increase an institution's endowment fund. The endowment funds must be matched at a rate of one non-Federal dollar for each Federal dollar. Under the HBGIs program, eligible institutions that have project grants over $1,000,000 must match the entire Federal share on a dollar-for-dollar basis. NASNTI does not have an endowment component.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Under the SIP, TCCUs, ANNH, AANAPISI and HSIs, planning grants are for a period of up to 1 year, individual development grants are for a period of 5 years. This information is included in the award document.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
None/Not specified.
Headquarters Office
James Laws
Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Office of Higher Education Programs, Institutional Service, 400 Maryland Ave., SW
Washington, DC 20202 US
james.laws@ed.gov
Phone: (202) 453-7348
Website Address
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues.
Financial Information
Account Identification
91-0201-0-1-502
Obligations
(Project Grants) FY 22$93,129,000.00; FY 23 est $100,782,000.00; FY 24 est $102,313,000.00; FY 21$87,313,000.00; FY 20$83,995,000.00; FY 19$73,037,000.00; FY 18$72,314,000.00; FY 17$63,281,000.00; FY 16$63,281,000.00; - Strengthening HBGIs.(Project Grants) FY 22$19,661,000.00; FY 23 est $27,314,000.00; FY 24 est $28,845,000.00; FY 21$13,845,000.00; FY 20$12,838,000.00; FY 19$11,163,000.00; FY 18$11,052,000.00; FY 17$9,671,000.00; FY 16$9,671,000.00; - PPOHA.(Project Grants) FY 22$35,516,000.00; FY 23 est $38,578,000.00; FY 24 est $40,044,000.00; FY 21$33,189,000.00; FY 20$32,435,000.00; FY 19$30,000,000.00; FY 18$29,782,000.00; FY 17$27,767,000.00; FY 16$27,782,000.00; - Strengthening ANNH.(Project Grants) FY 22$10,936,000.00; FY 23 est $18,589,000.00; FY 24 est $20,120,000.00; FY 21$5,120,000.00; FY 20$4,444,000.00; FY 19$3,864,000.00; FY 18$3,826,000.00; FY 17$3,348,000.00; FY 16$3,348,000.00; - Strengthening AANAPISI.(Project Grants) FY 22$72,186,000.00; FY 23 est $79,839,000.00; FY 24 est $83,080,000.00; FY 21$66,370,000.00; FY 20$64,863,000.00; FY 19$59,994,000.00; FY 18$59,559,000.00; FY 17$55,529,000.00; FY 16$55,559,000.00; - Strengthening TCCUs.(Project Grants) FY 22$110,070,000.00; FY 23 est $122,070,000.00; FY 24 est $209,007,000.00; FY 21$109,007,000.00; FY 20$107,854,000.00; FY 19$99,875,000.00; FY 18$98,886,000.00; FY 17$86,534,000.00; FY 16$86,534,000.00; - Strengthening Institutions (Part A)(Project Grants) FY 22$442,978,000.00; FY 23 est $476,141,000.00; FY 24 est $487,619,000.00; FY 21$417,774,000.00; FY 20$404,777,000.00; FY 19$362,150,000.00; FY 18$359,014,000.00; FY 17$323,829,000.00; FY 16$323,914,000.00; - Strengthening HBCUs.(Project Grants) FY 22$182,854,000.00; FY 23 est $227,751,000.00; FY 24 est $236,732,000.00; FY 21$148,732,000.00; FY 20$143,081,000.00; FY 19$124,415,000.00; FY 18$123,183,000.00; FY 17$107,795,000.00; FY 16$107,795,000.00; - Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions.(Project Grants) FY 22$17,708,000.00; FY 23 est $22,300,000.00; FY 24 est $23,218,000.00; FY 21$14,218,000.00; FY 20$13,197,000.00; FY 19$11,475,000.00; FY 18$11,361,000.00; FY 17$9,942,000.00; FY 16$9,942,000.00; - Strengthening PBIs.(Project Grants) FY 22$94,300,000.00; FY 23 est $94,300,000.00; FY 24 est $94,300,000.00; FY 21$94,300,000.00; FY 20$94,100,000.00; FY 19$93,800,000.00; FY 18$93,400,000.00; FY 17$93,100,000.00; FY 16$93,200,000.00; - HSI STEM.(Project Grants) FY 22$7,834,000.00; FY 23 est $11,405,000.00; FY 24 est $12,120,000.00; FY 21$5,120,000.00; FY 20$4,444,000.00; FY 19$3,864,000.00; FY 18$3,826,000.00; FY 17$3,348,000.00; FY 16$3,348,000.00; - Strengthening NASNTI.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Varies by competition
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
34 CFR 606, 607, 608, 609, 628, the Education Department General Administrative Regulations.

 



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