DHSI 2025 Application Booklet FINAL 06042025.pdf

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Office of Postsecondary Education

Washington, D.C. 20202

Fiscal Year 2025

Application for Grants under the Developing Hispanic- Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program

ALN: 84.031S

Form Approved

OMB No. 1840-0745, Expiration Date: 5/31/2026

DATED MATERIAL – OPEN IMMEDIATELY

CLOSING DATE: 07/03/2025

ii

Table of Contents Page

Dear Applicant Letter

Competition Highlights

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards

Program Statute and Regulations

Intergovernmental Review

General Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

Performance Measures

Instructions for Completing the Application

Instructions for Standard Forms

Supplemental Instructions for the Project Narrative

Competition Priorities

DHSI Program Profile Form

DHSI Program Profile Form Instructions

Application Checklist

Paperwork Burden Statement

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

OFFICE OF POSTSECONDARY EDUCATION

June 3, 2025

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in applying for a grant under the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Title V, Part A, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) program. Included in this application package are the program statute and regulations, and the instructions and forms needed for you to submit an application for the DHSI program.

Please be sure to thoroughly review the entire application package for information concerning the DHSI program. Applicants should pay particular attention to the section entitled “Competition Highlights” that outlines program and competition details. The Notice Inviting Applications (NIA), which is included in this package and published in the Federal Register, is the official document describing the requirements for submitting a DHSI Program grant application. You should not rely upon any other information that is inconsistent with the NIA.

This year’s competition includes two competitive preference priorities for which applicants may receive up to 20 additional points depending on whether the application meets these priorities, and one invitational priority. We sincerely hope applicants will consider addressing these priorities. For more information on the priorities, selection criteria, and other program and competition details, please refer to the NIA.

Applicants are required to follow the Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528), and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs.

Additional information on the DHSI program is available on the Department’s website at https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v.

If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact Margarita L.

Meléndez, competition manager, at hsi@ed.gov or (202) 987-0408. We appreciate your interest in the DHSI Program and look forward to receiving your application.

Sincerely, /S/

Dr. Christopher J. McCaghren Acting Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v mailto:hsi@ed.gov

Competition Highlights

1. Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) program grant applications for FY 2025 must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov at: http://www.grants.gov. Applicants are required to follow the Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528), and available at https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain information on how to submit an application.

2. The application deadline is 07/03/2025, at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.

3. Only eligible Institutions of Higher Education may apply for a grant under this program. For information on eligibility, refer to the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA).

4. The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 amended the authorized grant activities under Part A of Title V of the Higher Education Act (HEA) of 1965 (individual development grants) to include innovative and customized instruction course development; articulation agreement and student support program activities designed to facilitate student transfer from two-year to four-year institutions; activities that improve student financial and economic literacy; and activities to develop distance education technologies.

5. Grants under this competition will be awarded on a competitive basis for the following types of grants:

Individual Development Grants. For this competition, an eligible HSI may only submit one Individual Development Grant application.

6. We will not make an award exceeding the maximum allowable amount for a single budget period of one year. (See the NIA for information on the maximum allowable amount.)

7. There are two Competitive Preference Priorities for this competition. We will award an application ten

(10) additional points for responding to Competitive Preference Priority 1 and ten (10) additional points for responding to Competitive Preference Priority 2. Applicants may respond to one or both Competitive Preference Priorities for a total of up to 20 additional points. There is one Invitational Priority for this competition. You are encouraged, but not required, to address this priority. No additional points will be awarded if you address this priority.

8. Applicants should upload a one-page abstract that will provide an overview of the proposed project.

Include the name of the applicant institution. An applicant that addresses Competitive Preference Priority 1 must provide in the recommended one-page abstract the relevant NCES locale code of the applicant and/or campus(es) it proposes to serve with a rural setting. Any rural campus served under this priority must be an eligible HSI (as defined in the notice). An applicant that addresses Competitive Preference Priority 2 must affirm in the abstract that it has not had an active discretionary grant under the program from which it seeks funds, including through membership in a group application submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, in the following number of years before the deadline date for submission of applications under the program: Five years. You must upload the abstract in .pdf format.

9. All applicants are encouraged to limit the Project Narrative portion of the application to no more than 55 pages.

10. A current grantee under the DHSI program, which is authorized by Title V of the HEA, may not simultaneously hold or receive another grant under any Title III, Part A or Title III, Part B program.

http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/section-75.127

11. This application package contains detailed instructions for every required component of your application. It also includes an Application Checklist for your convenience.

12. Applicants are reminded that the NIA published in the Federal Register is the official document. You should not rely upon any information that is inconsistent with the guidance contained within the official document.

13. A pre-recorded technical assistance (TA) webinar will be posted to the DHSI program page at https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v#eligibility, and pre-application Q&A sessions will be conducted by the program office. Dates and times are posted under the “Related Documents” tab in Grants.gov. Please contact Margarita L. Meléndez at hsi@ed.gov if more information is needed.

https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v#eligibility https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-special-populations/grants-hispanic-students/developing-hispanic-serving-institutions-program--title-v#eligibility mailto:hsi@ed.gov

Revised 3/2025

IMPORTANT – PLEASE READ FIRST

U.S. Department of Education

Grants.gov Submission Procedures and Tips for Applicants

To facilitate your use of Grants.gov, this document includes important submission procedures you need to be aware of to ensure your application is received in a timely manner and accepted by the U.S. Department of Education (Department).

Browser Support

The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. However, these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, so we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues. Grants.gov no longer provides support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or below.

For additional information or updates, please see the Grants.gov Browser information in the Applicant FAQs: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs#browser

ATTENTION – Workspace, Adobe Forms and PDF Files

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different web forms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

1) Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2) Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace to work on the application together, complete all the required forms online or by downloading PDF versions, and check for errors before submission. The Workspace progress bar will display the state of your application process as you apply. As you apply using Workspace, you may click the blue question mark icon near the upper-right corner of each page to access context-sensitive help.

a. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out web forms you can download individual PDF forms to upload in Workspace. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview.html

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.

b. Mandatory Fields in Forms: Fields marked with an asterisk and have a different background color are mandatory fields. These fields must be completed to successfully submit your application.

c. Complete the SF-424 Form First: The fields in this form are designed to pre- populate common mandatory fields across other forms, such as the applicant’s name, address, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Once this form is completed, the information will transfer/pre-populate to the other mandatory fields in the forms.

3) Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

4) Track a Workspace Submission: After successfully submitting a workspace application, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the application. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission. Using the tracking number, access the Track My Application page under the Applicants tab or the Details tab in the submitted workspace.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-training.html.

Helpful Reminders

1) REGISTER EARLY – Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), which usually takes approximately 7 to 10 business days, but can take longer depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM.gov database by an applicant. You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit until all of the Registration Steps are complete.

NOTE: It will take 24-48 hours once your SAM.gov registration is active before the information becomes available in Grants.gov, and you can submit an application through Grants.gov. For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to:

https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration. Please note that your organization will need to update its SAM.gov registration annually.

To register in SAM.gov, click on the “Get Started” link under the “Register Your Entity…” heading in SAM.gov. Grantees, and other entities wanting to do business with the U.S.

Department of Education (e.g., entities applying for a grant), that are not already registered in SAM.gov must complete the “Register Entity” registration option and NOT the “Get a Unique Entity ID” option. The “Get a Unique Entity ID” option, which is not a full registration, is only https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-training.html available to entities for reporting purposes. Failing to complete the “Register Entity” option may result in loss of funding, loss of applicant eligibility, and/or delays in receiving a grant award.

Information about SAM.gov is available at www.SAM.gov. To further assist you with registering in SAM.gov or updating your existing SAM.gov registration, see the Quick Start Guide for Grant Registrations and the Entity Registration Video at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.

2) SUBMIT EARLY – We strongly recommend that you do not wait until the last day to submit your application. Grants.gov will put a date/time stamp on your application and then process it after it is fully uploaded. The time it takes to upload an application will vary depending on several factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection, and the time it takes Grants.gov to process the application will vary as well. If Grants.gov rejects your application (see step three below), you will need to resubmit successfully to Grants.gov before 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.

You must provide the UEI on your application that was used when you registered as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) on Grants.gov. This UEI is assigned to your organization in SAM.gov at the time your organization registers in SAM.gov. If you do not enter the UEI assigned by SAM.gov on your application, Grants.gov will reject your application.

3) VERIFY SUBMISSION IS OK – You will want to verify that Grants.gov received your application submission on time and that it was validated successfully. To see the date/time your application was received, login to Grants.gov and click on the Track My Application link. For a successful submission, the date/time received should be earlier than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the deadline date, AND the application status should be: Validated, Received by Agency, or Agency Tracking Number Assigned. Once the Department receives your application from Grants.gov, an Agency Tracking Number (PR/award number) will be assigned to your application and will be available for viewing on Grants.gov’s Track My Application link.

If the date/time received is later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time, on the deadline date, your application is late. If your application has a status of “Received” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status will either change to “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” your application has not been received successfully. Some of the reasons Grants.gov may reject an application can be found on the Grants.gov site: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/encountering-error-messages.html. For more detailed information on troubleshooting Adobe errors, you can review the Adobe Reader Software Tip Sheet at: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software- compatibility.html. If you discover your application is late or has been rejected, please see the instructions below.

Note: You will receive a series of confirmations both online and via e- mail about the status of your application. Please do not rely solely on e-mail to confirm whether your application has been received timely and validated successfully.

4) Submission Problems

a) If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date, please contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 1-800-518-4726 or email at: support@grants.gov or access the mailto:support@grants.gov

Grants.gov Self-Service Knowledge Base web portal at: https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants.

b) The Department discourages paper applications, but if electronic submission is not possible (e.g., you do not have access to the internet), (1) you must provide a prior written notification that you intend to submit a paper application and (2) your paper application must be postmarked by the application deadline date. Your prior written notification may be submitted by email or by mail to the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of the competition Notice Inviting Applications (NIA). If you submit your notification by email, it must be received by the Department no later than 14 calendar days before the application deadline date. If you mail your notification to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than 14 calendar days before the application deadline date. (Refer to the NIA for detailed instructions)

Helpful Hints When Working with Grants.gov

Please go to https://www.grants.gov/support for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Applicant FAQs found at this Grants.gov link: https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs.html.

Slow Internet Connections

When using a slow internet connection, such as a dial-up connection, to upload and submit your application, it can take significantly longer than when you are connected to the Internet with a high-speed connection, e.g., cable modem/DSL/T1. While times will vary depending upon the size of your application, it can take a few minutes to a few hours to complete your grant submission using a dial up connection. Failure to fully upload an application by the deadline date and time will result in your application being marked late in the G5 system. If you do not have access to a high-speed internet connection, you may want to consider following the instructions in the Federal Register notice to obtain an exception to the electronic submission requirement no later than 14 calendar days before the application deadline date. (See the NIA for detailed instructions.)

Attaching Files – Additional Tips

Please note the following tips related to attaching files to your application:

• When you submit your application electronically, you must upload any narrative sections and all other attachments to your application as files in either Portable Document Format (PDF) or Microsoft Word. Although applicants have the option of uploading any narrative sections and all other attachments to their application in either PDF or Microsoft Word, we recommend applicants submit all documents as read-only flattened PDFs, meaning any fillable PDF files must be saved and submitted as non-fillable PDF files and not as interactive or fillable PDF files, to better ensure applications are processed in a more timely, accurate, and efficient manner.

• Grants.gov cannot process an application that includes two or more files that have the same name within a grant submission. Therefore, each file uploaded to your application package should have a unique file name.

https://www.grants.gov/support

• When attaching files, applicants should follow the guidelines established by Grants.gov on the size and content of file names. Uploaded file names must be fewer than 50 characters.

• And, in general, applicants should not use any special characters. However, Grants.gov does allow for the following UTF-8 characters when naming your attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semi colon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign. Applications submitted that do not comply with the Grants.gov guidelines will be rejected at Grants.gov and not forwarded to the Department.

• Applicants should limit the size of their file attachments. Documents submitted that contain graphics and/or scanned material often greatly increase the size of the file attachments and can result in difficulties opening the files. For reference, the average discretionary grant application package with all attachments is less than 5 MB. Therefore, you may want to check the total size of your package before submission.

Notice Inviting Applications

4000-01-U

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Applications for New Awards; Developing Hispanic-Serving

Institutions Program

AGENCY: Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of

Education.

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: The Department of Education (Department) is issuing a notice inviting applications for new awards for fiscal year (FY)

2025 for the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI)

Program, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.031S. This notice relates to the approved information collection under OMB control number 1840-0745.

DATES:

Applications Available: June 3, 2025.

Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 3, 2025.

Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: October 1, 2025.

ADDRESSES: For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for

Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant

Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024

(89 FR 104528) and available at www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs. Please note that these Common

Instructions supersede the version published on December 7, 2022.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Margarita Melendez, U.S.

Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 2B186, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone: (202) 987-0408. Email:

Margarita.Melendez@ed.gov.

If you are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability and wish to access telecommunications relay services, please dial 7-1-1.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Full Text of Announcement

I. Funding Opportunity Description

Purpose of Program: The DHSI Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students; and expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating the majority of

Hispanic college students and helping large numbers of Hispanic students and other low-income individuals complete postsecondary degrees.

Priorities: This notice contains two competitive preference priorities and one invitational priority. The competitive preference priorities are from the Administrative Priorities for

Discretionary Grant Programs published in the Federal Register on March 9, 2020 (85 FR 13640) (Administrative Priorities).

Competitive Preference Priorities: For FY 2025 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, these priorities are competitive preference priorities. Under 34 CFR

75.105(c)(2)(i), we award up to an additional 20 points to an application, depending on how well the application meets one or more of these priorities; the total possible points for each competitive preference priority are noted in parentheses.

These priorities are:

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Rural Applicants (10 points).

Under this priority, an applicant must demonstrate the following:

(a) The applicant is an IHE with a rural campus setting, or the applicant proposes to serve a campus with a rural setting. Rural settings include any of the following: Town-

Fringe, Town-Distant, Town-Remote, Rural Fringe, Rural-Distant, Rural-Remote, as defined by the NCES College Navigator search tool.

Note: Any rural campus served under this priority must be an eligible HSI (as defined in this notice).

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Applications from New

Potential Grantees (10 points).

Under this priority, an applicant must demonstrate the following:

(a) The applicant has not had an active discretionary grant under the program from which it seeks funds, including through membership in a group application submitted in accordance with 34 CFR 75.127-75.129, in the following number of years before the deadline date for submission of applications under the program.

(i) Five years

Invitational Priority: For FY 2025 and any subsequent year in which we make awards from the list of unfunded applications from this competition, this priority is an invitational priority.

Under 34 CFR 75.105(c)(1), we do not give an application that meets the invitational priority a competitive or absolute preference over other applications.

The priority is:

Invitational Priority: Expanding access to distance education, workforce-based options, or shortened time-to-degree models, or recognized credentials. Applicants should demonstrate how their projects, institutions, or proposals are designed to promote education choice in one or more of the following ways: Expand access to postsecondary distance education, competency-based or skills-based education, pre-apprenticeships, apprenticeships, part-time coursework and career preparation, work-based learning or shortened time-to-degree models, and programs or coursework that lead to high-wage, high-skilled, or in-demand, industry recognized credentials.

Definitions: The following definitions are from 34 CFR 77.1 and apply to the priorities and selection criteria in this notice:

Baseline means the starting point from which performance is measured and targets are set.

Budget period means an interval of time into which a project period is divided for budgetary purposes.

Demonstrates a rationale means that there is a key project component included in the project's logic model that is supported by citations of high-quality research or evaluation findings that suggest that the project component is likely to significantly improve relevant outcomes.

Department means the U.S. Department of Education.

Evidence-based means the proposed project component is supported by promising evidence or evidence that demonstrates a rationale.

Experimental study means a study that is designed to compare outcomes between two groups of individuals (such as students) that are otherwise equivalent except for their assignment to either a treatment group receiving a project component or a control group that does not. Randomized controlled trials, regression discontinuity design studies, and single-case design studies are the specific types of experimental studies that, depending on their design and implementation (e.g., sample attrition in randomized controlled trials and regression discontinuity design studies), can meet

What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards without reservations as described in the WWC Handbooks:

(i) A randomized controlled trial employs random assignment of, for example, students, teachers, classrooms, or schools to receive the project component being evaluated (the treatment group) or not to receive the project component (the control group).

(ii) A regression discontinuity design study assigns the project component being evaluated using a measured variable

(e.g., assigning students reading below a cutoff score to tutoring or developmental education classes) and controls for that variable in the analysis of outcomes.

(iii) A single-case design study uses observations of a single case (e.g., a student eligible for a behavioral intervention) over time in the absence and presence of a controlled treatment manipulation to determine whether the outcome is systematically related to the treatment.

Fiscal year means the Federal fiscal year—a period beginning on October 1 and ending on the following September 30.

Grant period means the period for which funds have been awarded.

Grantee means the legal entity to which a grant is awarded and that is accountable to the Federal Government for the use of the funds provided. The grantee is the entire legal entity even if only a particular component of the entity is designated in the grant award notice (GAN). For example, a GAN may name as the grantee one school or campus of a university. In this case, the granting agency usually intends, or actually intends, that the named component assume primary or sole responsibility for administering the grant-assisted project or program.

Nevertheless, the naming of a component of a legal entity as the grantee in a grant award document shall not be construed as relieving the whole legal entity from accountability to the

Federal Government for the use of the funds provided. (This definition is not intended to affect the eligibility provision of grant programs in which eligibility is limited to organizations that may be only components of a legal entity.)

The term “grantee” does not include any secondary recipients, such as subgrantees and contractors, that may receive funds from a grantee pursuant to a subgrant or contract.

Logic model (also referred to as a theory of action) means a framework that identifies key project components of the proposed project (i.e., the active “ingredients” that are hypothesized to be critical to achieving the relevant outcomes) and describes the theoretical and operational relationships among the key project components and relevant outcomes.

Note: In developing logic models, applicants may want to use resources such as the Pacific Education Laboratory’s Logic Model

Application

(www.ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/pacific/elm.asp).

Performance measure means any quantitative indicator, statistic, or metric used to gauge program or project performance.

Performance target means a level of performance that an applicant would seek to meet during the course of a project or as a result of a project.

Project component means an activity, strategy, intervention, process, product, practice, or policy included in a project. Evidence may pertain to an individual project component or to a combination of project components (e.g., training teachers on instructional practices for English learners and follow-on coaching for these teachers).

Promising evidence means that there is evidence of the effectiveness of a key project component in improving a relevant outcome, based on a relevant finding from one of the following:

(i) A practice guide prepared by the WWC reporting “strong evidence”, “moderate evidence”, or “promising evidence” for the corresponding practice guide recommendation;

(ii) An intervention report prepared by the WWC reporting

“Tier 1 strong evidence” of effectiveness, or “Tier 2 moderate evidence” of effectiveness, or “Tier 3 promising evidence” of effectiveness, or a “positive effect,” or “potentially positive effect” on a relevant outcome, with no reporting of a “negative effect” or “potentially negative effect” on a relevant outcome;

or

(iii) A single study assessed by the Department, as appropriate, that—

(A) Is an experimental study, a quasi-experimental design study, or a well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias (such as a study using regression methods to account for differences between a treatment group and a comparison group); and

(B) Includes at least one statistically significant and positive (i.e., favorable) effect on a relevant outcome; and

(C) Includes no overriding statistically significant and negative effects on relevant outcomes reported in the study or in a corresponding WWC intervention report.

Quasi-experimental design study means a study using a design that attempts to approximate an experimental study by identifying a comparison group that is similar to the treatment group in important respects. This type of study, depending on design and implementation (e.g., establishment of baseline equivalence of the groups being compared), can meet WWC standards with reservations, but cannot meet WWC standards without reservations, as described in the WWC Handbooks.

Relevant outcome means the student outcome(s) or other outcome(s) the key project component is designed to improve, consistent with the specific goals of the program.

Subgrant means an award of financial assistance in the form of money, or property in lieu of money, made under a grant by a grantee to an eligible subgrantee. The term includes financial assistance when provided by contractual or any other form of legal agreement, but does not include procurement purchases, nor does it include any form of assistance that is excluded from the definition of “grant or award” in this part (see 2 CFR 200.92, “Subaward”).

What Works Clearinghouse Handbooks (WWC Handbooks) means the standards and procedures set forth in the WWC Procedures and

Standards Handbook, Version 5.0, or in the WWC Standards

Handbook, Version 4.0 or 4.1, or in the WWC Procedures Handbook, Version 4.0 or 4.1, the WWC Procedures and Standards Handbook, Version 3.0 or Version 2.1 (all incorporated by reference; see §

77.2). Study findings eligible for review under WWC standards can meet WWC standards without reservations, meet WWC standards with reservations, or not meet WWC standards. WWC practice guides and intervention reports include findings from systematic reviews of evidence as described in the WWC Handbooks documentation.

Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1101-1101d and 1103-1103g.

Note: Projects will be awarded and must be operated in a manner consistent with the nondiscrimination requirements contained in

Federal civil rights laws.

Applicable Regulations: (a) The Education Department General

Administrative Regulations in 34 CFR parts 75, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99. (b) The Office of Management and Budget

Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and

Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485.

(c) The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474. (d) The regulations for this program in 34 CFR part

606. (e) The Administrative Priorities.

II. Award Information

Type of Award: Discretionary grants. Five-year Individual

Development Grants only. Cooperative Arrangement Grants and

Planning Grants will not be awarded in FY 2025.

Estimated Available Funds: $66,944,786.

Contingent upon the availability of funds and the quality of applications, we may make additional awards in subsequent years from the list of unfunded applications from this competition.

Estimated Range of Awards: $500,000-$600,000.

Estimated Average Size of Awards: $575,000.

Maximum Awards: We will not make an award exceeding $600,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.

Estimated Number of Awards: 116.

Note: The Department is not bound by any estimates in this notice.

Project Period: Up to 60 months.

III. Eligibility Information and Supplemental Requirements

1. Eligible Applicants: (a) Institutions of higher education (IHEs) that qualify as eligible HSIs are eligible to apply for new Individual Development Grants under the DHSI

Program. To be an eligible HSI, an IHE must--

(i) Have an enrollment of needy students, as defined in section 502(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 as amended

(HEA) (section 502(a)(2)(A)(i) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.

1101a(a)(2)(A)(i));

(ii) Have, except as provided in section 522(b) of the

HEA, average education and general expenditures that are low, per full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student, in comparison with the average education and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate student of institutions that offer similar instruction (section 502(a)(2)(A)(ii) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.

1101a(a)(2)(A)(ii));

Note: To demonstrate an enrollment of needy students and low average education and general expenditures per FTE undergraduate student, an IHE must be designated as an “eligible institution” in accordance with 34 CFR 606.2 through 606.5 and the notice inviting applications for designation as an eligible institution for the fiscal year for which the grant competition is being conducted.

Note: The notice announcing the FY 2025 process for designation of eligible institutions, and inviting applications for waiver of eligibility requirements, was published in the Federal

Register on March 6, 2025 (90 FR 11408). Only institutions that the Department determines are eligible, or are granted a waiver, may apply for a grant in this program.

(iii) Be accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association that the Secretary has determined to be a reliable authority as to the quality of education or training offered, or making reasonable progress toward accreditation, according to such an agency or association (section

502(a)(2)(A)(iv) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iv));

(iv) Be legally authorized to provide, and provides within the State, an education program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree (section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA; 20

U.S.C. 1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii)), or be a junior or community college

(section 502(a)(2)(A)(iii) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.

1101a(a)(2)(A)(iii));

(v) 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 (section

502(a)(5)(B) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C. 1101a(a)(5)(B)); and

(vi) Provide, as an attachment to the application, the documentation the IHE relied upon in determining that at least

25 percent of the IHE’s undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic.

The 25 percent requirement applies only to undergraduate

Hispanic students and is calculated based upon FTE students as defined in section 502(a)(4) of the HEA. Instructions for formatting and submitting the verification documentation to

Grants.gov are in the application package for this competition.

(b) For this program, the “end of the award year immediately preceding the date of application” refers to the end of the fiscal year prior to the application due date. For purposes of this competition, the data that we will use to determine percent enrollment is for academic year 2023-2024.

(c) In considering applications for grants under this program, the Department will compare the data and documentation the institution relied on in its application with data reported to the Department’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data

System (IPEDS), the IHE’s State-reported enrollment data, and the institutional annual report. If different percentages or data are reported in these various sources, the institution must, as part of the 25 percent assurance verification, explain the reason for the differences. If the IPEDS data show that less than 25 percent of the institution’s undergraduate FTE students are Hispanic, the burden is on the institution to show that the IPEDS data are inaccurate. If the IPEDS data indicate that the institution has an undergraduate FTE less than 25 percent, and the institution fails to demonstrate that the IPEDS data are inaccurate, the institution will be considered ineligible.

(d) A grantee under the DHSI 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 American-Serving Non-Tribal Institutions

Program. The title III, part B programs include the

Strengthening Historically Black Colleges and Universities program and the Strengthening Historically Black Graduate

Institutions Program. Furthermore, a current DHSI Program grantee may not give up its HSI grant in order to receive a grant under any title III, part A program (34 CFR 606.2(c)(1)).

(e) An eligible HSI may only submit one Individual

Development Grant application.

(f) Nothing in this notice alters a grantee’s obligations to comply with nondiscrimination requirements in Federal civil rights laws, including nondiscrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin, among others.

2. a. Cost Sharing or Matching: This program does not require cost sharing or matching unless the grantee uses a portion of its grant for establishing or improving an endowment fund. If a grantee uses a portion of its grant for endowment fund purposes, it must match or exceed those grant funds with non-Federal funds (section 503(c)(2) of the HEA; 20 U.S.C.

1101b(c)(2)).

b. Supplement-Not-Supplant: This program involves supplement-not-supplant funding requirements. Grant funds must be used so that they supplement and, to the extent practical, increase the funds that would otherwise be available for the activities to be carried out under the grant and in no case supplant those funds. (34 CFR 606.30(b)).

c. Indirect Cost Rate Information: A grantee may not use an indirect cost rate to determine allowable costs under its grant.

d. Administrative Cost Limitation: This program does not include any program-specific limitation on administrative expenses.

3. Subgrantees: A grantee under this competition may award subgrants--to directly carry out project activities described in its application--to the following types of entities: local educational agencies; State educational agencies; IHEs; nonprofit organizations. The grantee may award subgrants to entities it has identified in an approved application or that it selects through a competition under procedures established by the grantee.

IV. Application and Submission Information

1. Application Submission Instructions: Applicants are required to follow the Common Instructions for Applicants to

Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on December 23, 2024 (89 FR 104528) and available at www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/12/23/2024-

30488/common-instructions-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant-programs, which contain requirements and information on how to submit an application.

Please note that these Common Instructions supersede the version published on December 7, 2022.

2. Submission of Proprietary Information: Given the types of projects that may be proposed in applications for the DHSI

Program, your application may include business information that you consider proprietary. In 34 CFR 5.11 we define “business information” and describe the process we use in determining whether any of that information is proprietary and, thus, protected from disclosure under Exemption 4 of the Freedom of

Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552, as amended).

Because we plan to make successful applications available to the public, you may wish to request confidentiality of business information.

Consistent with Executive Order 12600, please designate in your application any information that you believe is exempt from disclosure under Exemption 4. In the appropriate

Appendix section of your application, under “Other Attachments

Form,” please list the page number or numbers on which we can find this information. For additional information please see

34 CFR 5.11(c).

3. Intergovernmental Review: This competition is subject to intergovernmental review under Executive Order 12372.

Information about this process is in the application package.

4. Funding Restrictions: We specify unallowable costs in

34 CFR 606.10(c).

5. Recommended Page Limit: The application narrative is where you, the applicant, address the selection criteria that reviewers use to evaluate your application. We recommend that you (1) limit the application narrative to no more than 55 pages and (2) use the following standards:

• A “page” is 8.5" x 11", on one side only, with 1" margins at the top, bottom, and both sides.

• Double-space (no more than three lines per vertical inch) all text in the application narrative, including titles, headings, footnotes, quotations, references, and captions, as well as all text in charts, tables, figures, and graphs.

• Use a font that is either 12 point or larger, and no smaller than 10 pitch (characters per inch).

• Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

The recommended page limit applies to the Project

Narrative, which is your complete response to the selection criteria, and any responses to the priorities, if applicable.

However, the page limit does not apply to the Application for

Federal Assistance form (SF-424); the ED SF-424 Supplement form;

the Budget Information--Non-Construction Programs form (ED 524);

the assurances and certifications; or the one-page project abstract, the program profile form, and supporting narrative.

6. Notice of Intent to Apply: The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants that intend to apply.

Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of their intent to submit an application. To do so, please email the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT with the subject line “Intent to Apply,” and include the applicant's name and a contact person’s name and email address. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding; applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided.

V. Application Review Information

1. Selection Criteria: The selection criteria for this competition are from 34 CFR 75.210, 606.8, and 606.22.

Applicants should address each of the following selection criteria separately for each proposed activity. We will award up to 100 points to an application under the selection criteria and up to 20 additional points to an application under the competitive preference priorities, for a total score of up to

120 points. The maximum score for each criterion is noted in parentheses.

(a) Quality of the applicant's comprehensive development plan. (Up to 25 points)

The Secretary evaluates each application for a development grant based on the extent to which--

(1) The strengths, weaknesses, and significant problems of the institution's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are clearly and comprehensively analyzed and result from a process that involved major constituencies of the institution (Up to 5 points);

(2) The goals for the institution's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are realistic and based on comprehensive analysis (Up to 5 points);

(3) The objectives stated in the plan are measurable, related to institutional goals, and, if achieved, will contribute to the growth and self-sufficiency of the institution

(Up to 5 points);

(4) The plan clearly and comprehensively describes the methods and resources the institution will use to institutionalize practice and improvements developed under the proposed project, including, in particular, how operational costs for personnel, maintenance, and upgrades of equipment will be paid with institutional resources (Up to 5 points); and

(5) The five-year plan describes how the applicant will improve its services to Hispanic and other low-income students

(Up to 5 points).

Note: Under 34 CFR 606.8(a), a comprehensive development plan is an institution's strategy for achieving growth and self-sufficiency by strengthening its--

(1) Academic programs;

(2) Institutional management; and

(3) Fiscal stability.

(b) Quality of the project design. (Up to 15 points)

The Secretary considers the quality of the design of the proposed project. In determining the quality of the design of the proposed project, the Secretary considers the following:

(1) The extent to which the proposed project demonstrates a rationale (as defined in this notice) that is aligned with the purposes of the grant program (Up to 10 points); and

(2) The extent…