Applications for New Awards; Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program

The Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program, administered by the Office of Postsecondary Education at the U.S. Department of Education, offers discretionary grants aimed at enhancing the quality of postsecondary education for Hispanic students. Authorized under Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA), this program supports institutions that serve large numbers of Hispanic and low-income students in their pursuit of postsecondary degrees. The DHSI program strengthens institutional capacity through five-year individual development grants. These grants assist Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in expanding educational opportunities, improving academic attainment, enhancing institutional stability, and enriching the quality of academic programs and support services. The FY 2025 funding round for the DHSI program opened on June 3, 2025, and the deadline for transmittal of applications is July 3, 2025. The total estimated program funding is approximately $66.94 million, with individual award sizes ranging from $500,000 to $600,000 annually. Projects must span a five-year grant period. This competition will only fund Individual Development Grants; Cooperative Arrangement and Planning Grants are not included this cycle. Up to 116 awards are anticipated depending on the availability of funds and the quality of applications received. The program includes two competitive preference priorities: supporting rural applicants and encouraging applications from new potential grantees. Each of these priorities can earn up to 10 additional points in the evaluation process. There is also one invitational priority encouraging proposals that expand access to distance education, workforce-based training models, or shortened time-to-degree pathways. Applications will be reviewed according to criteria in 34 CFR 75.210, 606.8, and 606.22, focusing on the quality of the development plan, project design, activity objectives, implementation strategy, management plan, evaluation plan, and budget justification. To be eligible, applicants must be accredited institutions of higher education with at least 25% full-time equivalent Hispanic undergraduate enrollment, demonstrate financial need, and be legally authorized to offer degree programs. Institutions must also be designated as "eligible" by the Department of Education under 34 CFR 606.2–606.5, as announced in the March 6, 2025, Federal Register. Only one application per eligible institution may be submitted. Institutions already receiving a Title V grant cannot concurrently receive funds under other Title III, Part A or B programs. There is no cost sharing or matching requirement unless funds are used for an endowment fund, in which case matching with non-federal funds is required. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov following the Common Instructions published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024. A notice of intent to apply is strongly encouraged but not mandatory. Institutions must include documentation verifying the required Hispanic enrollment threshold, and provide detailed responses to the evaluation criteria. Grant awards are expected to be announced later in 2025. All projects must comply with federal civil rights laws and meet open licensing and reporting requirements under 2 CFR 3474.20 and related regulations. The primary contact for this opportunity is Margarita Melendez, who can be reached at Margarita.Melendez@ed.gov or by phone at (202) 987–0408.

Provide detailed responses aligned with federal evaluation criteria; include strong evidence-based rationale and logic models; ensure documentation of Hispanic enrollment and eligibility criteria is thorough and accurate.