U.S. Department of Education: High School Equivalency Program

The High School Equivalency Program (HEP) is designed to assist migratory or seasonal farmworkers (or immediate family members of such workers) to obtain the equivalent of a secondary school diploma and subsequently to gain improved employment, enter into military service, or be placed in an institution of higher education (IHE) or other postsecondary education or training.

The HEP includes two competitive preference priorities and one invitational priority:

• Competitive Preference Priority 1—Fostering Flexible and Affordable Paths to Obtaining Knowledge and Skills. Projects that are designed to address improving collaboration between education providers and employers to ensure student learning objectives are aligned with the skills or knowledge required for employment in in-demand industry sectors or occupations.
• Competitive Preference Priority 2—Consideration of Prior Experience. Projects that are expiring (current HEP grantees in their final budget period) will be considered for additional points under Competitive Preference Priority 2. The applicant’s prior experience in implementing its expiring HEP project will be considered, based on performance information to include, but not be limited to, the percentage of HEP participants exiting the program having received a High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma and the percentage of HSE diploma recipients who enter postsecondary education or training programs, upgraded employment, or the military.
• Invitational Priority—Projects proposed by ‘‘novice applicants.’’ For the purposes of this priority, a novice applicant is any applicant that has never received a grant or subgrant under HEP.

Amount: Approximately $5,700,000 is available to make up to 12 awards ranging from $180,000–$475,000 and averaging $475,000 for a project period of up to 60 months.

Eligibility: IHEs or private nonprofit organizations. If a private nonprofit organization other than an IHE applies for a HEP grant, that agency must plan the project in cooperation with an IHE and must propose to operate some aspects of the project with the facilities of that IHE.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=322753

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