Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Predominantly Black Institutions Competitive Grant Program Assistance Listing Number 84.382A | ED GRANTS 051421 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 051421 003

The Predominantly Black Institutions (PBI) Competitive Grant Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.382A) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE), under the Higher Education Programs (HEP) umbrella. In plain terms, it is designed to help eligible Predominantly Black Institutions strengthen their capacity and improve the programs and services they provide to students. The published funding description is a synopsis, and applicants are expected to rely on the official Federal Register notice for the controlling requirements, including the full eligibility rules, required application components, priorities, performance measures, and submission procedures.

The core purpose of the program is institutional strengthening, with funds intended to support PBIs as they build, expand, or improve programs in specific high-impact areas. The notice highlights five broad focus areas that applicants can center their proposals around: (1) science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); (2) health education; (3) internationalization or globalization efforts (for example, initiatives that expand global learning, language capacity, international partnerships, or curriculum internationalization); (4) teacher preparation; and (5) efforts aimed at improving educational outcomes of African American males. Conceptually, this means a grant project might focus on upgrading STEM instruction and labs, expanding health career pipelines, modernizing teacher preparation curricula and clinical experiences, building international learning opportunities, or implementing evidence-based retention and completion strategies targeted to African American male student success.

This opportunity is administered as a competitive grant, meaning institutions submit applications that are scored and ranked against the program’s published selection criteria and any stated priorities in the Federal Register notice. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the activity category is education. While the listing of eligible applicants is summarized in the opportunity as “Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification),” the key point is that eligibility is tied to meeting the statutory and program definitions for Predominantly Black Institutions, and applicants must confirm they qualify under the rules spelled out in the official notice.

For the 2021 cycle reflected in the provided source data, applications became available on May 14, 2021, with a deadline for transmittal of applications on June 28, 2021. The deadline for intergovernmental review was August 27, 2021. The opportunity anticipated making about 25 awards, with an award ceiling of $600,000. In practice, those figures signal a mid-sized competition where proposals need to be both clearly aligned with program purpose and specific about implementation plans, outcomes, and how the institution will measure progress.

Applicants are directed to follow the Department of Education’s “Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs” (published February 13, 2019, 84 FR 3768) for baseline submission and procedural requirements, including how to obtain and submit the application package. The opportunity description also emphasizes that the Federal Register notice is the authoritative source for the details that matter most during development and submission, such as pre-application requirements (if any), required forms and narratives, page limits, allowable activities and costs, selection criteria, competitive priorities, and the performance measures that will be used to monitor results after an award is made.

For program and application questions, the listed federal contacts for this notice were Kelly Harris (Kelly.Harris@ed.gov, 202-453-7346) and Ashley Hillary (Ashley.Hillary@ed.gov, 202-453-7880), both at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Predominantly Black Institutions Competitive Grant Program Assistance Listing Number 84.382A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.382.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 14, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2021 Applications Available May 14, 2021. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 28, 2021. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review August 27, 2021. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Kelly Harris, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 2B207, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone (202) 453-7346. Email Kelly.Harris@ed.gov. Or Ashley Hillary, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 2C143, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone (202) 453-7880. Email Ashley.Hillary@ed.gov.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $600,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 25 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for ED GRANTS 051421 003

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