Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program

Overview

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.

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. 

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Rural Applicants
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
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: 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 recognized credentials.
 

An eligible HSI may only submit one Individual Development Grant application.

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.

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

Regarding ASU’s Internal Deadline: After the posted internal deadline, this opportunity will be first come, first served.