Legislative Tracker: Institutional Grant & Incentive Programs
On this page, you'll find proposals relating to institutional grant and incentive programs.
H.R.7341 — The Growing Reputable Academic Departments Act (GRAD Act)
Sponsor: Rep. McClellan [D-VA]
Introduced: 02/04/2026
NASFAA Summary: This bill would expand eligibility for certain graduate education grants available to minority-serving institutions. Under Title III, Part B of the HEA, the federal government provides institutional aid to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) to strengthen academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability. Sections 723 and 724 specifically authorize competitive grant programs to support graduate and professional education at HBCUs and PBIs, including master's level programs. Currently, only institutions explicitly listed in statute are eligible to receive funding under these sections. The bill would allow additional Part B institutions that offer qualified master’s degree programs, but are not already named in the statute, to qualify for these graduate program funds.
S.3433 — PELL Act
Sponsor: Sen. Banks [R-IN]
Introduced: 12/11/2025
NASFAA Summary: This bill would eliminate most federal funding streams specifically targeted to minority-serving institutions and redirect those savings to the Federal Pell Grant program. The bill strikes or rewrites language from the HEA that bases eligibility or priorities on race or MSI status and instead often ties eligibility to serving “a substantial number” of Pell Grant recipients. The bill then dedicates the total federal savings from these repealed or rewritten MSI programs as new, mandatory Pell appropriations starting in FY 2028, with those Pell funds indexed to inflation in later years. Beginning in award year 2028–29, that additional money would be folded into the Pell Grant formula as an extra per-student amount, calculated by dividing the new annual Pell appropriation by the number of Pell-eligible students, thereby increasing each Pell recipient’s maximum award.
H.R.5399 — Equitable Arts Education Enhancement Act
Sponsor: Rep. Kamlager-Dove [D-CA]
Introduced: 09/16/2025
NASFAA Summary & Analysis: This bill would establish a competitive grant program supporting arts education at minority-serving institutions. Grants may fund student financial assistance, outreach and development for arts programs, mentorship and career support, preservation and exhibition of minority art, and paid apprenticeships or fellowships in partnership with cultural organizations. Funds may also support stipends and training for future arts educators and mentor teachers.
Legislative Tracker Overview | Archive: Institutional Grant & Incentive Programs
Publication Date: 2/4/2026