Strengthening Institutions Program FY 2026

SIP typically runs competitions in odd-numbered years, making FY 2026 an off-cycle exception. The announced pool exceeded $400 million, but eligible IHEs compete nationally through a two-stage process that requires clearing an eligibility application before your funding application is even reviewed.

Most applicants miss that eligibility and funding are separate submissions, and failing the first disqualifies you from the second entirely. In even-numbered years the program normally funds down the prior year's slate rather than opening fresh competitions, so FY 2026 was an exception worth tracking as a signal for when the next true competition lands.