HIGH SCHOOL EQUIVALENCY PROGRAM (HEP)

Description: The purpose of the HEP is to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and members of their immediate family obtain a general education diploma (GED) that meets the guidelines for high school equivalency established by the State in which the HEP project is conducted and to help them gain employment or be placed in an institution of higher education or other postsecondary education or training.

For this program, there are two Competitive Preference Priorities. Proposals that meet the Novice Applicant priority will receive an additional five points, and depending on how well proposals meet the Prior Experience of Service Delivery priority, they can receive up to 15 additional points. Novice Applicants have never received a grant or subgrant from the HEP program and has not had an active discretionary grant from the federal government in the past five years. For applicants with an expiring HEP project, the applicant's prior experience in implementing its expiring HEP project will determine whether the the proposal meets the Prior Experience of Service Delivery priority.

The program also includes two invitational priorities. Proposals that meet these priorities do not receive preference over other applications. The U.S. Department of Education extends invitational priorities to programs that are designed to address science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and to proposals that engage faith-based and community organizations in the delivery of services.

Fit for public broadcasting: Interested applicants should consider partnering with a community or technical college. University licensees and stations with experience offering workforce skills or adult literacy training programs will be a good fit for this program.

Eligibility: Institutions of higher education or private non-profit organizations (including faith-based organizations) that plan their projects in cooperation with an institution of higher education and propose to operate some aspects of the project with the facilities of the institution of higher education are eligible.

Anticipated funding: The Administration has requested $1,560,683 for new awards for this program for FY 2012. The estimated range of awards is $180,000 - $475,000, and the estimated number of awards is between three and

four.

How to apply: Applications must be submitted electronically on Grants.gov. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the grant deadline.

Resources:
Program notice
Program website