The Department of Education awarded $75 million across three grant programs to benefit underserved students at colleges and universities. The three programs include: 1) the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Part A grant program; 2) the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) state grant initiative; and 3) the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP).

• The AANAPISI Part A grant program provides grants to enable eligible institutions to improve and expand their capacity to serve Asian Americans, Native American Pacific Islanders, and low-income individuals. Of the $6 million that went to 16 AANAPISI-serving institutions, two NAICU members were recognized: Long Island University (LIU) and the University of San Francisco (USF), and their winning program abstracts can be seen here.

• $23 million was awarded to six states as part of the GEAR UP competitive grant program, which provides six-year matching grants to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students with early intervention strategies and scholarships.

• Lastly, $46 million went to 107 institutions for SIP grants, which are aimed at helping schools expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen the academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability of eligible institutions. The list of winning schools has not yet been released but should be available on the Department’s SIP webpage in the coming days.