Washington Watch: DOL launches ‘super-sized’ SIP competition

“The Department of Labor (DOL), “on behalf of the Department of Education (ED),” on Thursday released a fiscal year (FY) 2026 grant application package for the Higher Education Act Title III-A Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). Eligible institutions have until June 23 to apply. In the final FY 26 funding bill, Congress left the door open for ED/DOL to transfer funds it had appropriated for the Title III Minority-Serving Institutions programs and the Title V Hispanic-Serving Institutions program into the SIP program because the Trump administration had deemed the MSI and HIS programs unconstitutional. The grant competition confirms that ED/DOL have chosen this path by making $366 million available for new grants in this competition, far more than the $102 million earmarked by Congress for the SIP program. As a result, all institutions deemed eligible based on their educational expenditures and relative need of their students will compete for one big pot of money, rather than the separate pots dedicated to each of the MSI programs. A workforce focus In addition to super-sizing the program, ED/DOL has also significantly changed its nature by prioritizing workforce-focused grant applications. The two-agency team has applied three competitive preference priorities that were unveiled last year. When ED revealed these competitive preference priorities, the American Association of Community Colleges responded that it supported the priorities in isolation, but it was concerned that applying them to certain programs could move them away from their intended purposes, as is the case here. Proposals will get a leg up if they promote the attainment of workforce credentials and provide work-based learning opportunities, support the development or expansion of workforce Pell-eligible programs, or expand the understanding of artificial intelligence. Institutions may choose only one of these priorities. A fourth competitive priority awards extra points to applications from rural institutions. The competition maintains the statutorily required absolute priority that allows for various uses of funds that strengthen institutional capacity. The post Washington Watch: DOL launches ‘super-sized’ SIP competition first appeared on Community College Daily .

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