Eligibility Details

Designation as an eligible institution is required prior to formal application to the SIP (or any other Higher Education Act) grant program. To be eligible for HEA Title III or V programs, an institution of higher education's average educational and general expenditures” (E&G) per full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student must be less than the average E&G expenditures per FTE undergraduate student of institutions that offer similar instruction in that year. Pending this initial calculation or approval of waiver, institutions must then meet further qualifications based on the specific grant program under the HEA for which they wish to apply.

The Department has instituted a process known as the Eligibility Matrix (EM), under which they will use information submitted by IHEs to IPEDS to determine which institutions meet the basic eligibility requirements for the programs authorized by Title III or Title V of the HEA. The Department will use enrollment and fiscal data for the 2017-2018 year submitted by institutions to IPEDS to make eligibility determinations for FY 2020.

Beginning December 16, 2019, an institution will be able to review the Department's decision on whether it is eligible for the grant programs authorized by Titles III or V of the HEA through this process by checking the institution's eligibility in the Eligibility system linked through the Department's Institutional Service Eligibility website at: http://www2.ed.gov/?about/?offices/?list/?ope/?idues/?eligibility.html.

If the entry for your institution in the EM shows that your institution is automatically eligible (green color coding) to apply for a grant for a particular program and you plan to submit an application for a grant in that program, you will not need to apply for eligibility or for a waiver through the process described in this summary. Rather, you may print out the eligibility letter directly. However, if the EM does not show that your institution is automatically eligible (yellow color coding) for a program in which you plan to apply for a grant, you must submit a waiver request as discussed in this summary before the deadline. Note that eligibility designation for waivers are effective for one year: from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020.

The FY22 eligibility matrix is available here: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/2022eligibilitymatrix.xlsx

Eligibility for 2021 for main campuses was pre-determined using data from the Integrated Post-secondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Eligible main campuses do not need to complete an application. Branch campuses will be required to log in to submit an application. You may search for your institution to determine if your institution is eligible and download your approval letter here: https://hepis.ed.gov/title3and5/ltrMatrix/eligMatrix.cfm

Upon general HEA Title III and V funding eligibility confirmation, the PPOHA program further requires that an institution:

•  offer a postbaccalaureate certificate or postbaccalaureate degree program and qualify as an eligible HSI are eligible to apply for new Individual Development Grants under the PPOHA Program. See section 512(b) of the HEA.
• Have an enrollment of undergraduate FTE students that is at least 25 percent Hispanic students at the end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application.

NOTE: A A grantee under the PPOHA Program, which is authorized by title V of the HEA, may not receive a grant under any HEA, title III, part A or part B program (section 505 of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101d). The title III, part A programs include: the Strengthening Institutions Program; the American Indian Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities Program; the Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Programs; the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program; the Predominantly Black Institutions Program; and the Native AmericanServing Non-Tribal Institutions Program.  Title III, part B includes the Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities Program. Furthermore, a current PPOHA Program grantee may not give up its HSI grant in order to receive a grant under any title III, part A program.  However, a successful applicant may receive only one grant under the HEA. Finally, for any IHE with current funding under a SIP grant (whether that is Part A or F) a two-year hiatus is required between current project close-out and ability to reapply for SIP funding.

Deadline Details

Institutions must first confirm eligibility to apply for HEA Title III and V funding prior to applying to this program. For more information about this process, see: https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/idues/eligibility.html

While the PPOHA competitions typically occur on a 5 year cycle, the Title III and V eligibility window is annual.

• The deadline to confirm eligibility or submit a request for waiver for any funding available under Title III or Title V of the Higher Education Act in FY 2022 was on February 18, 2022.

Please see https://hepis.ed.gov/title3and5/login.cfm for more information. Note that eligibility designation for waivers only of the non-federal cost share is effective for one year: from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Those applicants approved for 2022 eligibility waiver letters are expected to be announced by April 2022.

Provided the applicant institution is listed as automatically eligible within the current FY's eligibility matrix (green color coding) or applied for a waiver (yellow color coding) and received an approval letter, they are then permitted to apply to the relevant PPOHA program once the window opens.

Applications are to be submitted by July 28, 2022. A similar deadline is anticipated quinquennially. Updates to this timeline will be posted here https://www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/find/edlite-forecast.html#chart6

Award Details

In FY 2022, a total of $5,900,000 is available to fund 10 to 12 Five-year Individual Development Grants. Awards are expected to range from $500,000 to $600,000 for each 12 month period of the project. Projects are expected to last up to 5 years.

Cost sharing/matching is not required unless a grantee plans to fund an endowment. A 1:1 match of non-federal funds would then be required.