Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.031X | ED GRANTS 071425 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 071425 004

The Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.031X) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Postsecondary Education, under the Higher Education Act (HEA), Title III, Part A. Its central goal is to strengthen the capacity of eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to better serve Native American students and low-income students. Funds are intended to support institutions as they plan, develop, and implement improvements that expand services and institutional effectiveness for these student populations, rather than simply supporting routine operations.

To be eligible, an institution must meet several baseline requirements tied to accreditation, legal authority, and federal eligibility designation rules. The school must be accredited or preaccredited by a nationally recognized accrediting body that the Secretary of Education recognizes as a reliable authority on educational quality. It must also be legally authorized by the state where it is located to operate as a junior or community college or to provide an educational program leading to a bachelor’s degree. In addition, the institution must be designated as an “eligible institution” by demonstrating (through the standards in 34 CFR 607.3 and 34 CFR 607.4) that it serves a significant number of needy students and has relatively low average education and general expenditures per full-time equivalent (FTE) undergraduate student. The Department runs a formal annual eligibility designation process, and only institutions deemed eligible (or granted a waiver through that process) can apply. For FY 2025, the eligibility designation and waiver process was announced in the Federal Register on March 6, 2025 (90 FR 11408).

NASNTI has a key enrollment-based requirement specific to Native American representation. At the time an application is submitted, the applicant must certify its total undergraduate headcount enrollment and certify that at least 10 percent of its enrollment is Native American. The application package includes an assurance form that must be completed and signed by an authorized institutional official, making this certification a formal condition of applying.

The competition structure allows for more than one type of award approach, including Individual Development Grants and Cooperative Arrangement Development Grants. An eligible institution may submit applications for both types in the same competition and, if successful, may receive both in the same fiscal year. For cooperative arrangement grants, the lead institution must be an eligible institution, but partner institutions do not have to be eligible institutions. Importantly, an institution that already holds an NASNTI individual or cooperative award can still participate as a partner in one or more cooperative arrangement projects. Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (as recognized under Title III of the HEA) are explicitly allowed to participate as partners in multiple cooperative arrangement development grants, even if they are not the lead applicant.

There is also an important restriction involving the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions (DHSI) Program (Title V of the HEA). A current DHSI grantee cannot simultaneously receive a grant under any Title III, Part A program, including NASNTI and the other related programs (Strengthening Institutions; Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities; Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions; and Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions). The rules also make clear that a current DHSI grantee cannot drop its DHSI grant in order to take a Title III, Part A award instead (per 34 CFR 607.2(g)(1)). However, an institution that is eligible as an HSI but is not currently funded under DHSI may apply to Title III, Part A programs for which it qualifies and may also seek DHSI consideration, with the understanding that if selected it may ultimately receive only one grant under the applicable limitation.

For this specific posting, the opportunity is listed as ED GRANTS 071425 004, categorized as a discretionary grant under the Department of Education, with an original application closing date of August 13, 2025. The synopsis indicates an expected 8 awards, while the award ceiling is not stated in the provided summary. Because the synopsis is not the full legal notice, applicants are directed to rely on the official Federal Register application notice and to follow the Department’s governmentwide application submission and formatting requirements in the “Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs” (published December 23, 2024, 89 FR 104528), which covers key items like submission procedures, required forms, and other application mechanics.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Higher Education Programs (HEP): Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.031X" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.031.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-07-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-08-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 071425 004

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