Federal grant programs / Department of Education

Strengthening Minority-Serving Institutions (84.382)

• Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$194 million
• Grant awards81
• Typical award$2.4 million
• Awarded in FY 2025$42.8 million
• Size rank610 of 1,823
• Type of assistanceProject grants

Key findings

• Annual funding rose from $31.0 million in fiscal 2021 to $42.8 million in fiscal 2025.
• It is the 610th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
• The 20 largest recipients received 47% of the money.
• Awards went to recipients in 24 states and territories.

What the program funds

To strengthen Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI); Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI); and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) that propose to carry out activities to improve and expand such institution's capacity to serve low-income and minority students. For Master’s Degree Programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Section 723) and Master’s Degree Programs at Predominantly Black Institutions (Section 724) to specified eligible institutions to further advance educational opportunities for African-Americans.

From the federal Assistance Listing. Read the full listing on SAM.gov.

Open opportunities

No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.

Rules from the program listing

Who can apply

At the time of application, PBIs must have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 40 percent African American students. AANAPISI and NASNTI applicants must have, at the time of application, an enrollment of undergraduate students not less than 10 percent Asian American and Native American Pacific Islanders and Native Americans, respectively. Institutions eligible for Master’s Degree Programs at HBCUs and PBIs are specified in Title VII Sections 723 and 724 of the HEA. An institution that is eligible for and receives an award under HEA’s Title III Historically Black Graduate Institutions (HBGIs) or Title V Promoting Postbaccalaureate Opportunities for Hispanic Americans (Section 512) for a fiscal year is not eligible to apply for a grant or receive grant funding under Section 897—Master’s Degree Programs for HBCUs and PBIs—for the same fiscal year.

What the money can and cannot pay for

Section 371: Applicants under the PBI program (Section 371(b)(2)(C)) may use funds to carry out programs in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); health education; internationalization or globalization; teacher preparation; or improving educational outcomes of African American males. Applicants under the AANAPISI (Section 371(b)(2)(D)(iii)) and NASNTI (Section 371(b)(2)(D)(iv)) programs may use funds to assist such institutions with planning, developing, undertaking, and carrying out activities to improve and expand the institution's capacity to serve Asian American and Native American Pacific Islanders and Native Americans and low-income individuals. More specifically, AANAPISI grantees may use funds to carry out activities described in section 311(c).

Continue reading on SAM.gov

Matching requirements

This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.

Deadlines

Oct 01, 2026 to Sep 30, 2027

Award range and average, in the agency's words

Varies by competition.

Quoted from the program's federal Assistance Listing. The notice of funding opportunity is the official source for each competition's rules.

Who usually wins

Colleges and universities received 85% of the money, state and local governments 12% and nonprofits 2.9%.

By state

Each state below has its own page for this program, with its recipients and yearly totals.

Award amounts are federal obligations reported to USAspending.gov for fiscal 2021 to 2025; see how our data works.