US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION GRANTS OPEN FOR COMPETITION
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Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)
Summary: The Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) helps eligible IHEs to become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions.
Eligible Entities: IHEs designated as SIP-Eligible by the Department of Education
Anticipated Available Funds: $365,875,512
Deadline: June 23, 2026
Average award: $3 million for 5 years for individual grants and $4 million for 5 years for cooperative grants.
Cost Sharing: No matching or cost sharing, unless SIP funds are used for endowment fund purposes in which case the grantee must match those grant funds with non-Federal funds.
Indirect Costs: None
Priorities: Must be used for one of the following allowable activities – 1) purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purpose; 2) Construction, maintenance, renovation, and improvement in classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and other instructional facilities, including the integration of computer technology into institutional facilities to create smart buildings; 3) Development and improvement of academic programs; 4) Purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program material; 5) Tutoring, counseling, and student service programs designed to improve academic success, including innovative, customized, instruction courses designed to help retain students and move the students rapidly into core courses and through program completion, which may include remedial education and English language instruction; 6) Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students or the students’ families; 7) Joint use of facilities, such as laboratories and libraries; 8) Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen or improve contributions from alumni and the private sector; 9) Establishing or increasing an endowment fund; 10) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or other distance education technologies, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
Up to 5 competitive preference points for 1) Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness projects; or Developing high-quality short-term programs that meet Workforce Pell Grant requirements; or Advancing AI in Education
10 competitive preference points for serving a rural campus
Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students Program
Summary: The Basic Needs for Postsecondary Students program is designed to advance systemic and sustainable solutions to student basic needs insecurity through support programs that address the basic needs of students and to report on practices that improve outcomes for students.
Eligible Applicants: IHEs, consortia or systems of IHEs; and public and private nonprofit organizations and agencies
Anticipated Available Funds: $10 million
Deadline: June 23, 2026
Average award: $1 million for four years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Unrestricted
Priorities: 10 competitive preference points for applicants who are state agencies.
Invitational Priorities: Basic needs security and Connecting students to work-based learning
Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) Grant Program
Summary: RPED is designed to improve rates of postsecondary enrollment, persistence, and completion among rural students through development of career pathways aligned to high-skill, high-wage, and in-demand industry sectors and occupations in the region.
Eligible Entities: Public or private nonprofit IHEs; public and private nonprofit organizations and agencies.
Anticipated Available Funds:$45 million
Deadline: June 23, 2026
Average award: $2,250,000 for four years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Unrestricted
Priorities: Must be a rural applicant and provide work-based learning opportunities, career pathways, and workforce readiness projects.
10 points for projects carried out by entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a Governor or chief State education official.
Invitational Priority: Promoting development of AI literacy skills
Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS) Program
Summary: CEVSS encourages institutions of higher education to develop model programs to support veteran student success in postsecondary education by coordinating services to address the academic, financial, physical, and social needs of veteran students.
Eligible Entities: IHEs
Anticipated Available Funds:$9 million
Deadline: June 23, 2026
Average award: $2,250,000 for 3 years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Unrestricted
Priorities: Must establish a Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success
Up to 10 competitive preference points for career pathways and workforce readiness
Open Textbook Pilot (OTP) Program
Summary: Open Textbooks Pilot program is designed to support projects at eligible IHEs or State higher education agencies that create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks and course materials in courses that are part of a degree-granting program, particularly those with high enrollments.
Eligible Entities: IHEs; combinations of IHEs; other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies.
Anticipated Available Funds:$7 million
Deadline: June 23, 2026
Average award: $1,750,000 for 4 years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Unrestricted
Priorities: Must improve collaboration and dissemination; address gaps in the open textbooks marketplace and bring solutions to scale; and promote student success.
10 competitive preference points for projects run by state higher ed agencies
Up to 10 competitive preference points for advancing AI in education
Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) Program
Summary: PSSG is designed to equitably improve postsecondary student outcomes, including retention, upward transfer, and completions of value, by leveraging data and implementing, scaling, and rigorously evaluating evidence-based activities to support data-driven decisions and actions that lead to credentials that support economic success and further education.
Eligible Entities: IHE; a consortium of IHEs; statewide systems of higher education; public and private nonprofit agencies or organizations, or any of these in partnership with a non-profit or business.
Anticipated Available Funds:$45 million
Deadline: June 29, 2026
Average award: $3,750,000 for early phase and $7,500,000 for mid phase for 4 years
Cost Sharing: 10% match
Indirect Costs: Capped at 8% of a modified total direct cost base.
Priorities: Must be early phase/demonstrate a rationale or mid phase/moderate evidence; Must either advance AI to support postsecondary student success or be a career pathway and workforce readiness project or develop/expand high-quality short-term programs or support college-to-career pathways and supports
10 competitive preference points for applicants who are state agencies
Invitational Priority: innovative, evidence-based financing models
High School Equivalency Program (HEP)
Summary: The purpose of HEP is to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers, or immediate family members of such workers, to obtain the equivalent of a secondary school diploma and subsequently to gain improved employment, enter military service, or be placed in an institution of higher education or other postsecondary education or training.
Eligible Entities: IHE; private nonprofit.
Anticipated Available Funds:$11,550,000.
Deadline: June 12, 2026
Average award: $500,000 per year for 5 years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Capped at 8% of a modified total direct cost base
Priorities: Must provide a high school equivalency program project
Up to 15 prior experience points
Up to 3 competitive preference points for projects that expand access to education services that accelerate learning and up to 3 competitive preference points for career pathways and workforce readiness projects.
College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP)
Summary: The purpose of CAMP is to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers, or immediate family members of such workers, who are enrolled or are admitted for enrollment on a full-time basis at an institution of higher education to complete their first academic year.
Eligible Entities: IHE; private nonprofit
Anticipated Available Funds:$13,014,675
Deadline: June 12, 2026
Average award: $500,000 per year for 5 years
Cost Sharing: None
Indirect Costs: Capped at 8% of a modified total direct cost base
Priorities: Must provide a college assistance migrant program project
Up to 15 prior experience points
Up to 5 competitive preference points for career pathways and workforce readiness projects.
Amanda Fuchs Miller is the founder and President of Seventh Street Strategies and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Education.
