Under the Department of Education, the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) CFDA Number 84.031A is being offered as a means of strengthening SIP. This particular educational program is responsible for providing grants to eligible institutions of higher education, as a means of helping these institutions become more self-sufficient, as well as to expand capacity for serving low-income students. With institutions offering better quality academic programs to low-income students, more and better learning opportunities are created.
While several groups are eligible to apply for this grant, the Department of Education is particularly interested in applicants from four invitational priorities to include:
1. Invitational Priority 1 – Support activities as a means of improving persistence and graduation rates of institutions
2. Invitational Priority 2 – Work with appropriate State agencies so strategies for using longitudinal data systems for tracking student outcomes attending grantee institutions but also completing certificates, two-year degrees, and four-year degrees at other institutions could be developed
3. Invitational Priority 3 – Develop academic programs or support programs to help improve completion rates
4. Invitational Priority 4 – Develop dual-enrollment programs as a means of facilitating the transition between high school and college, or college and careers using basic academic instruction, as well as professional or technical occupational training
Currently, available funding for this grant is $17,830,000 although depending on availability of funds, as well as the quality of applicants, additional funding may be made available in fiscal year 2011. For eligibility, several criteria must be met to include:
• Accredited or pre-accredited by an agency or association with nationally recognition accreditation
• Legally authorized by the State in which a junior college is located or an educational program awarding a bachelor’s degree is provided
• Designated as an “eligible institution”, demonstrated that under 34 CFR 607.3 enrollment of needy students is established and under 34 CFR 607.4 general and low-average education expenditures per full-time equivalent undergraduate student exist
With this particular grant, a supplement-non-supplant funding requirement is involved. This means that funding under this grant would be used so supplement, to the extent of practical, would increase funds that would otherwise be made available for activities under the grant and in no case supplant those funds.
An application is available online at http://e-grants.ed-gov or by making a request to Imogene Byers or Darlene B. Collins, US Department of Education, 1990 K Street NW, 6th Floor, Washington, DC, 20006-8513, through email to Imogene.byers@ed.gov or by phone at 202-502-7672 for Imogene Byers or through email to Darlene.collins@ed.gov or by phone at 202-502-7576 for Darlene Collins. Individuals who are deaf or hearing impaired can call using a TDD or TTY toll-free to 800-877-8339. Additionally, applications are available in large print, audiotape, computer disc, or Braille.
All of the contents of the application, along with required forms are included in the application package. Requirements for the application and forms include:
The application cannot be longer than 50 pages for an individual development grant and 70 pages for a cooperative arrangement development grant. Page size must be sing an 8.53×113 page, one side only, and 13 margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. Additionally, all pages must be numbered. The narrative must be doubled spaced to include titles, headings, subheadings, footnotes, quotations, captions, and references, along with tables, figures, charts, and graphs. Font for the narrative must be 12 point or higher or no smaller than 10-pitch with fonts of Times New Roman, Ariel, Courier, and Courier New.
Page numbers do not include Part I: Application for Federal Assistance, Supplemental Information Form (required by the Department of Education), and Part IV: assurances and certifications, appendices, or a one-page abstract, and table of contents. Any application with appendices that exceed the five-page limit will not be considered. Applications that do not meet these requirements will not be considered.
After the application has been received, the applicant would receive notification, which would include a PR/Award number specific to each applicant’s application.
Three days after submitting the application electronically, a copy of the SF424 would need to be faxed to the Application Control Center but only after the following have been completed:
• SF424 would be printed from e-Application
• The form must be signed by the authorizing representative of the application
• PR/Award number would be placed in the upper right-hand corner on the hardcopy of the signed SF424 form
• SF424 form would be faxed to the Application Control Center at 202-245-6272
