Tribal Colleges and Universities Program Hub and Topical Interest Groups (TCUP Hub and TIGs)

This solicitation is offered for support of two types of projects, a TCUP Hub and faculty-led topical interest groups (TIGs).

The TCUP Hub will serve the entire TCUP-eligible community with activities such as convening workshops (including the TCUP Leaders' Forum), coordinating faculty/student exchanges, organizing professional development opportunities, and overseeing TCUP Fellowship opportunities with eligible agencies. The Hub will connect people and organizations to facilitate relationships, expand and diversify networks, and support TCUP faculty and staff in building capacity in areas they identify. It will curate shared resources, expertise, and experiences to build the capacity of TCUP institutions. Also, it will build and support a sense of community among all TCUP institutions and elevate the voices within them.

Only one Hub will be supported, either to a single institution or to a collaborative submission from multiple institutions. Interested parties may find that a collaborative submission from multiple institutions is more feasible, engaging two or more TCUP institutions to synergistically leverage their different strengths in realizing the Hub's mission. Multiple institutions submitting collaboratively may better address the multiplicity of TCUP institutions, which vary geographically, administratively, and in modes of governance. Clearly, some activities may be best pursued by enlisting specialists as consultants. Two types of collaborative proposals are acceptable: simultaneous submission of proposals from multiple organizations submitting a unified set of certain proposal sections, as well as information unique to each organization, such as unique budgets, key personnel, and activities; or submission of a collaborative proposal from one organization, with collaborating institutions included through subawards (subawards are permitted only to TCUP-eligible institutions; proposers should confer with the TCUP program staff prior to submission). All collaborative proposals submitted from multiple organizations must be submitted via Research.gov.

Additionally, this solicitation is offered for support of independent, faculty-led topical interest groups (TIGs) that focus on professional development of faculty and formation of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) discipline networks (e.g., engineering, genomics, Indigenous research, environmental science). Up to two new TIGs may be supported.

[1] Executive Order 13021 defines Tribal Colleges and Universities ("tribal colleges") as those institutions cited in section 532 of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note), and other institutions that qualify for funding under the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act of 1978, (25 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), as well as Navajo Community College as authorized in the Navajo Community College Assistance Act of 1978, Public Law 95-471, Title II (25 U.S.C. 640a note). The term "Alaska Native-serving institution" means an institution of higher education that is an eligible institution under section 1058(b) of the Higher Education Act; and that, at the time of submission, has an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 20 percent Alaska Native students. The term "Native Hawaiian-serving institution" means an institution of higher education that is an eligible institution under section 1058(b) of the Higher Education Act; and that, at the time of submission, has an undergraduate enrollment that is at least 10 percent Native Hawaiian students. Most TCUP-eligible institutions of higher education are two-year or community colleges. See the Who May Submit Proposals section in this solicitation for further details.