Program Office: Institutional Service
CFDA Number: 84.031A
Program Type: Discretionary/Competitive Grants, Cooperative Agreements
Also Known As: Title III, Part A
The program 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.
(1) Purchase, rental, or lease of scientific or laboratory equipment for educational purposes, including instructional and research purposes.
(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) Support of faculty exchanges, faculty development, and faculty fellowships to assist in attaining advanced degrees in the field of instruction of the faculty.
(4) Development and improvement of academic programs.
(5) Purchase of library books, periodicals, and other educational materials, including telecommunications program material.
(6) 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.
(7) Education or counseling services designed to improve the financial literacy and economic literacy of students or the students' families.
(8) Funds management, administrative management, and acquisition of equipment for use in strengthening funds management.
(9) Joint use of facilities, such as laboratories and libraries.
(10) Establishing or improving a development office to strengthen or improve contributions from alumni and the private sector.
(11) Establishing or improving an endowment fund.
(12) Creating or improving facilities for Internet or other distance education technologies, including purchase or rental of telecommunications technology equipment or services.
(13) Other activities proposed in the application submitted pursuant to subsection (b) and section 1068 of this title that—
(A) contribute to carrying out the purposes of the program assisted under this part; and
(B) are approved by the Secretary as part of the review and acceptance of such application.
The Strengthening Institutions Program typically holds competitions every other year, on odd-numbered years (e.g., 2019, 2021, etc.).
In even-numbered years (e.g., 2020, 2022, etc.), the program funds down the previous year's slate.
Information on the most recent competition can be found under Applicant Info.
A list of awardees and abstracts can be found under Awards. Requests for funded applications must be submitted via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) site at: www.foia.gov.
Who May Apply: (by category) Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs)
Who May Apply: (specifically) IHEs that meet certain eligibility requirements may apply.
Institutions of higher education must meet both basic and specific eligibility requirements. A basic requirement is that an institution must be legally authorized by the state in which it is located to be a junior college or provide an educational program for which it awards a bachelor's degree; and be either accredited, pre-accredited, or making reasonable progress toward such accreditation by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or organization.
Under specific eligibility requirements, an institution must have at least 50 percent of its degree students receiving need-based assistance under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, or have a substantial number of enrolled students receiving Pell Grants, and have low educational and general expenditures. The Secretary may waive the eligibility requirements under certain conditions which are defined in program regulations.
NOTE: Learn how to apply for and receive designation as an eligible institution. Refer to the Tips and Assistance section on the Eligibility page to find more information, the latest webinar schedule, and/or presentations regarding eligibility.
Lists of Eligible Institutions by Fiscal Year
There are two application processes for this program -- one for eligibility and one for grant funding.
Information for Grant Funding
The Department is conducting one competition for Strengthening Institution Program (SIP) grants in fiscal year 2023, 84.031A. For more information, the Program will hold technical assistance webinars. Webinar dates are upcoming and will be posted soon.
INFORMATION FOR GRANT FUNDING FOR CFDA NUMBER 84.031A
Timeline for CFDA 84.031A
SIP competitions are generally held every other year.
Current competition for CFDA 84.031A: FY 2023
Application available: March 23, 2023
Application deadline: May 22, 2023
Federal Register Notice for CFDA 84.031A
- Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2023 under CFDA 84.031A dated March 23, 2023
Current Application for CFDA 84.031A
All applicants are required to submit an application online through Grants.gov.
Through Grants.gov you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You can search for the downloadable application package by keyword—SIP or by CFDA—84.031.
If you experience problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, refer to the Support page and/or contact the Grants.gov Support Desk, toll free, at 1-800-518-4726. For program-specific questions, contact the program officer below.
If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) or a text telephone (TTY), call the Federal Relay Service (FRS), toll free, at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities can obtain this document and a copy of the application package in an accessible format (e.g., braille, large print, audiotape, or compact disc) on request to one of the program contact persons listed below.
Please note that: Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on SAM (www.sam.gov) which may take approximately one week to complete, but could take upwards of several weeks to complete, depending upon the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an applicant. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the registration steps are complete. Please note that once your SAM registration is active, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov, and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov. For detailed information on the registration steps, please click here. [Note: Your organization will need to update its SAM registration annually.] Primary information about SAM is available at www.sam.gov. Note that the Department has transitioned from DUNS to Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) numbers. For more information, the Department of Education has provided a fact sheet, which you can access by clicking here.
Tips and Assistance for CFDA 84.031A
Click here for the FY 2023 Application Booklet.
FY 2023 Technical Assistance Webinar
Date: April 13, 2023
Time: 3:00 — 4:30 pm, Eastern Time
To view the webinar recording, please click here.
To review the webinar slides, please click here.
Application Contacts for CFDA 84.031A
Nalini Lamba-Nieves, (202) 453-7953
U.S. Department of Education, OPE
Title III Part A Programs, Strengthening Institutions
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Mail Stop LBJ 4-4C140
Washington, DC 20202-6450
Institutional Service Home | Discretionary Grant Applications
FY 2023
FY 2022
FY 2021
- Abstracts and List of funded projects:
MS Word (101K)
FY 2020
FY 2019
FY 2018
- List of funded projects: MS Excel (14K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part A: MS Word (93K), PDF (716K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part F: MS Word (57K), PDF (716K)
FY 2017
- List of funded projects: MS Excel (11K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part A: MS Word (49K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part F: MS Word (69K)
FY 2016
FY 2015
FY 2014
- List of funded projects: MS Excel (44K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part A: MS Word (473K)
- Abstracts of New Awards for Title III Part F: MS Word (68K)
FY 2013
- Abstracts of funded Title III Part F projects: PDF (406K)
FY 2012
FY 2011
FY 2010
- Abstracts of funded projects: MS Word (316K)
FY 2023
Number of New Awards: 107
Average of New Awards: $431,229.00
Total New Award Funding: $46,141,543.00
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 194
Average Continuation Development Awards: $414,893
Total Continuation Development Awards: $80,489,304
Total Award Funding: $127,537,254
Total Number of Awards: 301
FY 2022
Number of New Awards: 27
Average of New Awards: $429,868
Total New Award Funding: $11,606,433
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 229
Average Continuation Development Awards: $429,886
Total Continuation Development Awards: $98,443,929
Total Award Funding: $110,070,000
Total Number of Awards: 256
FY 2021
Number of New Awards: 44
Average of New Awards: $436,943
Total New Award Funding: $19,257,092
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 202
Average Continuation Development Awards: $443,527
Total Continuation Development Awards: $89,592,479
Total Award Funding: $109,007,000
Total Number of Awards: 246
FY 2020
Number of New Awards: 62
Average of New Awards: $415,458
Total New Award Funding: $25,758,381
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 184
Average Continuation Development Awards: $445,317
Total Continuation Development Awards: $81,938,290
Total Award Funding: $107,854,000
Total Number of Awards: 246
FY 2019
Number of New Awards: 64
Average of New Awards: $441,057
Total New Award Funding: $28,227,643
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 161
Average Continuation Development Awards: $442,793
Total Continuation Development Awards: $71,289,641
Total Award Funding: $99,875,000
Total Number of Awards: 225
FY 2018
Funds were awarded by funding down the FY 2017 slate.
New Awards 84.031A
Number of New Awards: 41
Average of New Awards: $442,747
Total 84.031A New Award Funding: $18,152,639
New Awards 84.031F (Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness):
Number of New Awards: 18
Average Continuation Development Awards: $528,125
Total 84.031F New Award Funding: $9,506,241
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 142
Average Continuation Development Awards: $473,374
Total Continuation Development Awards: $67,219,168
Total Award Funding: $98,886,000
Total Number of Awards: 201
FY 2017
New Awards 84.031A
Number of New Awards: 10
Average of New Awards: $439,088
Total 84.031A New Award Funding: $4,121,144
New Awards 84.031F (Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness):
Number of New Awards: 7
Average Continuation Development Awards: $593,540
Total 84.031F New Award Funding: $4,154,784
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 164
Average Continuation Development Awards: $474,258
Total Continuation Development Awards: $77,778,440
Total Award Funding: $86,534,000
Total Number of Awards: 181
FY 2016
Funds were awarded by funding down the FY 2015 slate.
Number of New Awards: 45
Average of New Awards: $445,210
Total New Award Funding: $19,903,201
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 135
Average Continuation Development Awards: $439,354
Total Continuation Development Awards: $65,403,669
Supplemental Award: $395,890
Peer Review of Application: $348
Total Award Funding: $86,534,000
Total Number of Awards: 180
FY 2015
Number of New Awards: 41
Average of New Awards: $436,558
Total New Award Funding: $17,462,302
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 128
Average Continuation Development Awards: $402,359
Total Continuation Development Awards: $61,436,279
Supplemental Award: $170,824
Peer Review of New Award Applications: $450,564
Total Award Funding: $80,462,000
Total Number of Awards: 168
FY 2014
Discretionary Funding
New Awards 84.031A (Competitive Preference Priorities):
Number of New Awards: 35
Average of New Awards: $422,314
Total 84.031A New Award Funding: $14,781,000
New Awards 84.031F (Absolute Priority):
Number of New Awards: 5
Average Continuation Development Awards: $1,643,584
Total 84.031F New Award Funding: $8,217,921
Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) Awards 84.031A:
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 130
Average Continuation Development Awards: $383,769
Total Continuation Development Award Funding: $49,889,977
Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) Awards 84.031F:
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 6
Average Continuation Development Awards: $942,639
Total Continuation Development Award Funding: $5,655,834
Supplemental Funding:
Number of Supplemental Awards: 1
Average Supplemental Award: $594,268
Total Supplemental Award Funding: $594,268
Totals:
Discretionary New: $22,998,921
Discretionary NCC: $55,545,811
Supplemental: $594,268
Total Appropriation: $79,139,000
Total Number of Awards Funded: (New and NCCs): 176
FY 2013
Discretionary Funding
New Awards 84.031A Competition (Competitive Preference Priorities)
Number of New Awards: 33
Average of New Awards: $431,364
Total 84.031A New Award Funding: $14,235,044
New Awards 84.031F Competition (Absolute Priority)
Number of New Awards: 6
Average Continuation Development Awards: $994,053
Total 84.031F New Award Funding: $5,964,319
Non-Competing Continuation (NCC) Awards
Number of Continuation Development Award: 153
Average Continuation Development Awards: $329,982
Total Continuation Development Award Funding: $55,753,878
Supplemental Funding
Number of Supplemental Awards: 1
Average Supplemental Award: $100,311
Total Supplemental Award Funding: $100,311
Discretionary New: $120,199,363
Discretionary NCC: $55,753,878
Supplelmental: $100,311
Peer Review Costs: $352,697
Total Appropriation: $76,406,249
Total Number of Awards Funding: (New and NCCs): 192
FY 2012
Number of New Awards: 15
Average of New Awards: $389,455
Total new award funding: $5,841,832
Number of Continuation Development Awards: 199
Average Continuation Development Awards: $375,156
Total Continuation Development Awards: $74,655,967
Peer Review of New Award Applications: $125,534
Total Award Funding: $80,623,333
Total Number of Awards: 214
Legislation
- Title III, Part A, Sec. 311-315 of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965, as amended.
- 20 U.S.C. 1057-1059b
Regulations
- Title 34 Part 607
- Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 75, 77, 79, 82, 85, 86, 97, 98, and 99
Guidance
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Guidance for Grants and Agreements, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
Past Performance | Annual Report
Final Report | Successful Strategies
Past Program Performance
The U.S. Department of Education collects and analyzes program performance data annually. The data show how well the program performs toward meeting its national targets. Presenting the data on the Web enables a wide variety of audiences to review the performance. Past program performance data for Title III Part A may be reviewed at the links below.
- Performance Assessment Report: This report provides a narrative description of program performance for cohorts of grants. This Grantee Performance Assessment is for fiscal years 2004-2005: PDF (268K) | MS Word (3.94M)
Annual Performance Report
Grantees are required to submit an Annual Performance Report (APR) annually; the collection number is OMB 1840-0766. The APR is available to grantees October 1 of each calendar year, and closes 90 days thereafter. To review the reporting requirement for Title III and Title V Programs request access to an interactive training site under the training tab located on the Information Management Performance System Portal at HTTPS://HEPIS.ed.gov/. Once here you may select the requirements for each Title III and Title V program based on the institutional type (two-year or four-year). This site is also available to grantees for training purposes and includes an APR user's manual.
To gain access to the APR at HTTPS://HEPIS.ed.gov/, project directors need the institution's Unit ID, PR Award ID, and a unique password provided by the Institutional Service. Passwords are e-mailed to all grantee project directors designated on the grant award notification document 30 days before the collection period begins. Project directors of Title III and Title V grants are responsible for completing and managing the content of their respective annual report. During the data collection, assistance is available via a Help Desk to answer questions related to system operations, error messages, technical problems, report content, and program policy.
Note: If you are a project director and have responsibility for completing the annual report for your institution, please be sure you are designated on the official grant award notification and your e-mail and telephone number are listed correctly in the GAPS database.
A copy of the Web-based annual program performance report is provided below in MS Word, providing a text version of the data elements included in the report.
- 2018 Annual Performance Report MS Word (107K)
Final Performance Report
The online system will generate a final report from grantees' individual annual reports for each grant ending September 30 of the collection period. The online system generates the final performance so that reported data is consistent throughout the life cycle of grants and eliminates each grantee's burden of having to compile a final report.
Successful Strategies
OPE received the abstract linked below in response to a request for Title III-funded institutions serving Asian-American and Pacific Islander students to share successful strategies in fostering low-income postsecondary student recruitment, retention, and graduation.
The Department also encourages grantees to report successful strategies for fostering low-income postsecondary student recruitment, retention, and graduation, including strategies for reaching students while still in high school and Asian American and Pacific Islander students, on their own Web pages.
Related Sites
- Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program
- Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program
- Information about Pell Grants and other student aid programs
Other Resources
Key Staff
Division Director: James Laws, (202) 453-7348
Program Officers:
Lead Program Officer: Nalini Lamba-Nieves, (202) 453-7953
Yolande Badarou, (202) 453-7632
Don Crews, (202) 453-7920
Pearson Owens, (202) 987-1866
Christopher Smith, (202) 453-7946
Tonia Vaughn, (202) 453-7911
Robyn Wood, (202) 453-7744
Mailing Address:
U.S. Department of Education, OPE
Higher Education Programs
Title III Part A Programs, Strengthening Institutions
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
LBJ 5th Floor
Washington, DC 20202
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- What is the purpose of the Title III Part A Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)?
- Who may apply for SIP grants?
- What kinds of activities can be supported with grant funds?
- How often are competitions generally held?
- What is the duration of the average grant?
- What is the average annual grant amount?
- Is there a cost matching requirement?
- What is the matching funds requirement for endowments? When must the matching funds be raised?
- What are the reporting requirements for grantees?
- What are the requirements for auditing funded projects?
- Are there program-wide performance measures?
- What are a few concrete examples of allowable activities?
1. What is the purpose of the Title III Part A Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP)?
SIP provides discretionary grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to help them become self sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students, by providing funds to improve and strengthen the institution's academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.
TOP
2. Who may apply for SIP grants?
IHEs that meet certain eligibility requirements may apply. For additional information about eligibility for SIP, please see the Eligibility page on this Web site.
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3. What kinds of activities can be supported with grant funds?
For a list of all activities, please see Type of Projects.
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4. How often are competitions generally held?
Generally, we invite applications for SIP grants every other year. For example, in FY 2015 the program had a competition. For FY 2016, the program did not hold a competition; rather, it funded down the FY 2015 slate.
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5. What is the duration of the average grant?
The average grant is awarded for a period of five years.
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6. What is the average annual grant amount?
The average annual amount is:
- $400,000 for individual development grants; and
- $600,000 for cooperative arrangement development grants.
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7. Is there a cost matching requirement?
SIP does not require cost sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match those grant funds with non-federal funds.
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8. What is the matching funds requirement for endowments? When must the matching funds be raised?
Grant funds used for endowments must be matched in equal amounts with funds from non-federal sources. In addition, no more than 20 percent of an annual grant award can be used to establish or increase an endowment fund at the institution.
If a grantee institution decides to use any of its grant funds for endowment purposes, it must match those grant funds immediately with non-federal funds when it places those funds into its endowment fund.
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9. What are the reporting requirements for grantees?
SIP grantees are required to submit an interim performance report after the first six months of the grant. An annual performance report is due 90 days after each budget period ends.
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10. What are the requirements for auditing funded projects?
Grantees that spend $500,000 or more in combined federal funds (regardless of agency) during fiscal years ending after December 31, 2003, or $300,000 or more in federal funds during fiscal years ended on December 31, 2003 or earlier, are required to have an annual institutional audit. Generally, these audits, referred to as "A-133 audits" or "single audits," review expenditures of federal funds across an entire organization instead of specific costs of individual grants. These audits must be conducted in accordance with "Standards for the Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities and Functions," published by the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Independent non-federal auditors selected by the grantee may perform these audits. Grantees that fail to meet the A-133 audit requirement may be designated as high-risk, which may affect future funding.
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11. Are there program-wide performance measures?
Yes, the following key performance measures for assessing the effectiveness of SIP have been established:
- The percentage change, over the five-year period, of the number of full-time degree-seeking undergraduates enrolled at SIP institutions. Note that this is a long-term measure, which will be used to periodically gauge performance, beginning in FY 2009;
- The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students at four-year SIP institutions who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year at the same SIP institution;
- The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students at two-year SIP institutions who were in their first year of postsecondary enrollment in the previous year and are enrolled in the current year at the same SIP institution;
- The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at four-year SIP institutions graduating within six years of enrollment; and
- The percentage of first-time, full-time degree-seeking undergraduate students enrolled at two-year SIP institutions graduating within three years of enrollment.
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12. What are a few concrete examples of allowable activities?
- Increasing student retention and progression through college-level courses by re-engineering student support services and supplemental instruction and providing enhanced faculty professional development;
- Building a student tracking system that includes an early alert module and faculty reporting module to improve the institution's information technology systems and ability to track students;
- Strengthening assessment and integrating academic advising, academic support and academic enrichment under a new center;
- Strengthening student information systems including the development of early warning systems with training for faculty and administrators in the new system;
- Developing faculty development, including workshops in high impact pedagogies, technology, and instructional methods for teaching under-prepared students;
- Developing an endowment fund to meet ongoing costs for maintenance and upgrades to technology;
- Expanding access to high-demand STEM Programs through the conversion of high-demand courses, each with a Science, Technology, Engineering or Math emphasis to online and/or hybrid delivery; and
- To develop six online student services—online readiness assessment, orientation, registration, tutoring, library resources and advising.