Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education - Comprehensive Program
Grant: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) – Comprehensive Program
Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Division: Office of Postsecondary Education
Deadline: May 23, 2011
Description: The Comprehensive Program of the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education supports innovative grants and cooperative agreements to improve postsecondary education. It supports reforms, innovations and significant improvements of postsecondary education that respond to problems of national significance and serve as national models.
Awards are made in a number of areas, including postsecondary education access, retention and completion, student preparation for college, cost-effectiveness and curricula reform. Successful FIPSE Comprehensive projects are innovative, have clear and specific goals, have game-changing implications and include plans for disseminating results.
For FY 2011, there are three competitive preference priorities and two invitational priorities.
Applications that respond to one of the following competitive preference priorities will be awarded up to an additional two points for each priority met.
- Increasing Postsecondary Success: Projects that are designed to increase the number and proportion of high-need students who persist in and complete college or other postsecondary education and training and who are demonstrably prepared for successful employment, active participation in civic life and lifelong learning.
- Enabling More Data-Based Decision-Making: Projects that are designed to collect, analyze and use high-quality and timely data to improve postsecondary student outcomes relating to enrollment, persistence and completion and leading to career success.
- Improving Productivity: Projects that are designed to significantly increase efficiency in the use of time, staff, money or other resources while improving student learning or other educational outcomes.
The following are invitational priorities. Applications that meet these priorities are not given preference over other applications.
- Curriculum Alignment: Under this priority, the U.S. Department of Education is particularly interested in initiatives to align curriculum between high schools and colleges and between two- and four-year postsecondary programs.
- Reducing Instructional Costs: For applicants that are addressing the third competitive preference priority, the U.S. Department of Education is particularly interested in projects that propose to make meaningful and constructive changes to postsecondary courses and programs that effectively demonstrate potential in improving learning outcomes while reducing the cost of delivery.
Fit for public broadcasting: University licensees may find a fit here - lead applicants for this award must be institutions of higher education, but they may partner with nonprofits. Stations that have a relationship with institutions of higher education may be able to add media expertise to a project that the college or university is planning to implement. For example, the University of Arizona received a four-year award of $599,995 in 2008 to develop online teacher trainings that will build teacher capacity for Latino academic success. More previous project abstracts are available on the program's website.
Eligibility: Institutions of higher education or combinations of institutions of higher education and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies are eligible to apply.
Anticipated funding: The U.S. Department of Education has requested and intends to use an estimated $20,347,000 for FY 2011 awards through this program. The actual level of funding, if any, depends on congressional action. Applications are invited now, however, to allow enough time to complete the grant process if Congress appropriates funds for this program. The estimated range of awards is $500,000 - $750,000 for a three-year project period. There will be approximately 28 awards granted.
How to apply: Application packages can be requested online. Completed applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov.
To do business with the U.S. Department of Education, applicants must register their Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and their Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR) and must maintain an active CCR registration while their application is under review and, if a grant is awarded, during the project period.
Resources:
Program notice
Program website
Past grantees and project abstracts
