Higher Education Institutional Aid

CFDA 84.031 Active Project Grants
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Program Funding

Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.

Latest annual funding (estimated)
$1.32B FY2025
$784.4M
FY16
$784.1M
FY17
$866.2M
FY18
$873.6M
FY19
$966M
FY20
$995M
FY21
$1.09B
FY22
$1.22B
FY23
$1.21B
FY24*
$1.32B
FY25*
* estimated

Who has received this funding

Organizations awarded under CFDA 84.031 (USAspending.gov).

Program Objective

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.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • State governments
  • Public nonprofits
  • U.S. territories (incl. universities)
  • Private nonprofits
  • Quasi-public nonprofits

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.

Beneficiaries

  • 12
  • 16
  • 18
  • 20
  • 35
  • 36
  • 38
  • 7
  • 8

Applicant institutions of higher education, including those in the territories and possessions that meet statutory eligibility requirements will benefit.

How to Apply

Application Procedure

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.

Approximately six months.

Program details & compliance

Use of Funds

Allowed Uses

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.

Required 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.

Matching Requirements

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.

Reporting & Compliance

Audit Required
Yes

Applicable 2 CFR 200 Subparts

  • Subpart B — General Provisions
  • Subpart C — Pre-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart D — Post-Federal Award Requirements
  • Subpart F — Audit Requirements

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).

Contacts

James Laws
(202) 453-7348
Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, Office of Higher Education Programs, Institutional Service, 400 Maryland Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20202
Data from SAM.gov Federal Assistance Listings. Source published: 2024-11-11. Spec v1.0. Last synced: 2026-06-02 02:43:05.