Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Institutional Service: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.031L | ED GRANTS 071425 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 071425 003

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) is offering a discretionary grant competition under the Higher Education Programs (HEP) umbrella for the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.031L). The basic goal of the program is institutional capacity-building: it funds eligible colleges and universities so they can improve and expand how well they serve Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students. In practice, the Department of Education frames this as support for planning, developing, or implementing campus activities and services that more directly contribute to student success outcomes (for example, stronger academic support structures, retention and completion strategies, and related institutional improvements).

Eligibility is restricted to institutions of higher education (IHEs) that meet several federal requirements. An applicant must be accredited or pre-accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency that the Secretary of Education recognizes as a reliable authority on educational quality. The institution must also be legally authorized by the state where it is located to operate as a junior or community college or to offer an educational program that awards a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the institution must be designated as an “eligible institution” under 34 CFR 600.2, which generally means it can demonstrate both (1) enrollment of needy students (as described in 34 CFR 607.3) and (2) low average educational and general expenditures per full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student (as described in 34 CFR 607.4). The Department notes that only institutions the Department determines are eligible, or those granted a waiver through the formal eligibility designation process, may apply. For FY 2025, the eligibility designation and waiver process was announced in the Federal Register on March 6, 2025 (90 FR 11408), and applicants are expected to align with that process.

A key AANAPISI-specific enrollment threshold also applies at the time of application. Applicants must certify their total undergraduate headcount enrollment and certify that at least 10 percent of the institution’s enrollment is Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander. This certification is not informal; it must be submitted using an assurance form included in the official application package and must be signed by an authorized institutional official.

The notice also clarifies how this competition interacts with other Department of Education institutional service grants, especially the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSI) Program (authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act). If an institution is currently receiving a Developing HSI Program grant, it cannot receive a grant under any Title III, Part A program at the same time. Title III, Part A programs include AANAPISI as well as several other capacity-building programs (such as Strengthening Institutions, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, Native American Serving Nontribal Institutions, and Predominantly Black Institutions). The rules also prevent a current Developing HSI grantee from dropping its Title V grant just to become eligible for AANAPISI or another Title III, Part A award. On the other hand, an institution that is HSI-eligible but not currently funded under the Developing HSI Program may apply to the Title III, Part A competitions it qualifies for and also be considered for Developing HSI, but if it is selected, it may ultimately receive only one of those grants, consistent with 34 CFR 607.2(g)(1).

The competition structure allows for two main grant types: Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. An eligible IHE is allowed to submit applications for both types in the same competition and, if selected, may receive both in the same fiscal year. However, the Department will not issue a second Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant to an institution for the same award year if it already has a Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant under the AANAPISI program. The cooperative arrangement option also allows partnership structures: the lead institution must be an eligible institution, but partner institutions or subgrantees do not have to be eligible institutions themselves. Additionally, institutions that already hold an AANAPISI Individual Development or Cooperative Arrangement Development Grant may still participate as a subgrantee in one or more cooperative projects led by another eligible institution.

From an application logistics standpoint, the synopsis emphasizes that the controlling, official requirements are in the Federal Register application notice, not in the brief description. Applicants are directed to review the official notice for the full set of requirements, including pre-application and application procedures, submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, and program contact details. It also points applicants to the Department’s “Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs,” published December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528), which contains standardized directions on how and where to obtain and submit applications.

Key opportunity details included in the listing are as follows: the funding opportunity number is ED GRANTS 071425 003; the agency is the U.S. Department of Education; the opportunity category is discretionary; the funding instrument is a grant; the activity category is education; the assistance listing (CFDA/ALN) is 84.031L; the anticipated number of awards is 12; the posting (creation) date is July 14, 2025; and the original application closing date is August 13, 2025. The award ceiling is not specified in the provided synopsis, so applicants would need to consult the Federal Register notice and official application package for funding ranges, allowable costs, and any award size limits.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Institutional Service: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.031L" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.031.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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