Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program

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  1. What is the purpose of the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program?
  2. What does a school need to do in order to apply for the AANAPISI program?
  3. What is Designation of Eligibility?
  4. What is the duration of the grant?
  5. What is the maximum annual grant award? What is the average award?
  6. Is there a cost matching requirement?
  7. What is the matching funds requirement for endowments? When must the matching funds be raised?
  8. What are the reporting requirements for grantees?
  9. What are the requirements for auditing of funded projects?
  10. Can a school have a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and AANAPISI grants at the same time?
  11. What are a few concrete examples of allowable activities?
  12. What other information is available about applying for grants at the Department of Education?

1. What is the purpose of the Asian American Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program?

The AANAPISI program provides discretionary grants to eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) to enable them to improve their academic quality, increase their self sufficiency, and strengthen their capacity to make a substantial contribution to the higher education resources of the Nation. At the time of application, IHEs applying for funds under the AANAPISI program must have an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent Asian American or Native American Pacific Islander.

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2. What does a school need to do in order to apply for the AANAPISI program?

A school will need to apply for Designation of Eligibility during December – January every year for each year the school wishes to apply for a grant when the call for proposals is announced in the Federal Register.

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3. What is Designation of Eligibility?

A school needs to demonstrate an enrollment of needy students and low average educational and general expenditures per FTE (full-time equivalent) undergraduate student, legally authorized to provide, and provides within the state, an educational program for which such institution awards a bachelor’s degree or a junior or community college; or the College of the Marshall Islands, the College of Micronesia / Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau Community College; accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association; and at the time of application, has an enrollment of undergraduate students that is at least 10 percent Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students.

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4. What is the duration of the grant?

The grant is awarded for a period of five years.

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5. What is the maximum annual grant award? What is the average award?

The maximum grant award is $500,000 per year for five years for a total award of $2,500,000. The average award ranges from $300,000 - $350,000 per year.

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6. Is there a cost matching requirement?

AANAPISI 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 those grant funds with non-federal funds.

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7. What is the matching funds requirement for endowments? When must the matching funds be raised?

Grant funds used for endowments must be matched in equal amounts with funds from non-federal sources. In addition, no more than 20 percent of an annual grant award can be used to establish or increase an endowment fund at the institution.

If a grantee institution decides to use any of its grant funds for endowment purposes, it must match those grant funds immediately with non-federal funds when it places those funds into its endowment fund.

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8. What are the reporting requirements for grantees?

AANAPISI grantees are required to submit an interim performance report after the first six months of the grant. An annual performance report is due 90 days after each budget period ends.

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9. What are the requirements for auditing of funded projects?

Grantees that spend $500,000 or more in combined federal funds are required to have an annual institutional audit. Generally, these audits, referred to as “A-133 audits” or "single audits," review expenditures of federal funds across an entire organization instead of specific costs of individual grants. These audits must be conducted in accordance with "Standards for the Audit of Governmental Organizations, Programs, Activities and Functions," published by the Comptroller General of the Government Accountability Office (GAO). Independent non-federal auditors selected by the grantee may perform these audits. Grantees that fail to meet the A-133 audit requirement may be designated as high-risk, which may affect future funding.

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10. Can a school have a Title V Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and AANAPISI grants at the same time?

Yes, an institution of higher education (IHE) may have a Title V, Part A, Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) grant and a Title III, Part F, AANAPISI grant simultaneously. An institution may not have a Title V, Part A and Title III, Part A simultaneously. An institution can have any Title III, Part F grants simultaneously.

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11. What are a few concrete examples of allowable activities?
  • Increasing student retention and progression through college level courses by re-engineering student support services and supplemental instruction and providing enhanced faculty professional development;
  • Development of a Summer Bridge program to bridge the gap between two-year and four-year colleges and universities;
  • Strengthening assessment and integrating academic advising, academic support and academic enrichment under a new center;
  • Developing faculty development, including workshops in high-impact pedagogies, technology, and instructional methods for teaching under-prepared students;
  • Developing an endowment fund to meet ongoing costs for maintenance and upgrades to technology;
  • Development of smart classrooms and improvement and technological enhancements to classrooms.
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12. What other information is available about applying for grants at the Department of Education?

Additional questions and answers on how to Apply for a Grant can be found at http://www2.ed.gov/fund/grants-apply.html.

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Last Modified: 03/06/2024