The Education Department said late last year that the grant program, which funds student success initiatives, would support projects related to accreditation reform, civic debate, artificial intelligence and workforce training.
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More than 70 colleges, universities, nonprofits and other organizations will share $169 million to advance multiple Trump administration priorities.
These include accreditation reform, promoting civil dialogue, short-term workforce training programs and advancing the use of artificial intelligence in higher education. The Department of Education announced the grant competition in November and said Monday it had awarded the funds, which have historically been used for programs that support student success.
The University received funding to replace accrediting agencies, launch short-term projects eligible for the new Workforce Pell Program, conduct Constructive Dialogue workshops and support peers in engaging in civil dialogue.
Artificial Intelligence, Civic Discussion and Workforce Pell priorities each received more than $50 million, while certification-related projects received nearly $15 million, according to one agency. Inside higher education Department data analysis. All grants in this period have four-year terms.
Two new accrediting agencies seeking federal recognition — the Higher Education Commission and the Commission on Public Higher Education — are scheduled to receive $1 million each. The department also awarded $1 million to the University of Rochester for its plan to create an accreditor focused on higher education certificate programs for students with intellectual disabilities, and $1 million to Valley Forge Military Academy, which hopes to create a new hybrid accreditor for military-related associate degree programs and certificate programs. (Valley Forge Military Academy is one of several institutions that has expressed interest in the Trump administration’s higher education compact.)
Meanwhile, Davidson College’s Institute for the Public Interest will receive nearly $4 million to create a network of deliberative citizens among 100 colleges and universities, according to a news release. Among other goals, the network aims to train faculty on how to facilitate forums on difficult topics and create teaching resources that can be shared widely.
“With this funding, we will reach thousands of students and educators across the country,” Chris Marsicano, the institute’s executive director, said in a statement. “The Davidson Institute for the Public Interest will serve as a national center linking research, teaching and public engagement around respectful inclusion of diverse political viewpoints – no matter how unpopular on campus – and engaging community efforts to examine, discuss and solve important issues.”
The department’s initial announcement about the awards did not provide specific information about the funded projects, but the agency briefly released documents Monday afternoon outlining which institutions received the awards and the amounts. Inside higher education Some information was captured before the files were deleted, and the details were compiled into the searchable database below. A department spokesman said the final document would be released next week.
at the same time, Inside higher education Contact identified institutions to learn more about how they plan to use grant funds. The database will be updated as they respond.
The grant comes from the Higher Education Improvement Fund, which historically supports projects related to student success. These include Basic Needs, Veteran Student Success and Postsecondary Student Success programs. But in November, the Education Department announced plans to use the funds for another special projects program, a move that drew criticism from Democrats and advocates. Department officials said they “received a historic number of applications” and this round of funding will help support students through their studies.
“This historic investment will realign workforce programs with the labor market, break up accreditation cartels, support institutions that want to switch accreditors, and strengthen the responsible use of artificial intelligence in the classroom,” department spokesperson Ellen Keast said in a statement. “These investments will provide American families with new, affordable higher education alternatives, and we are extremely pleased to see federal funding drive long-overdue change in the industry.”
Some critics expressed concern that the grant review process was cut short. Typically, FIPSE grant competitions begin in the spring and awards are awarded by Dec. 31, a former department official said. They also questioned who would manage the program’s progress. Like other higher education funding programs, the FIPSE program was transferred to the Department of Labor under an agreement announced late last year.
