Lead: The U.S. Department of Education awarded $14.5 million to 15 projects this week to seed new models of college accreditation and to pilot alternative accrediting agencies. The grants, dispersed through the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education, respond to a 2025 executive order calling for accreditation reform and aim to spur up to 10 new accrediting bodies that operate differently from the long‑standing regional agencies. Recipients will test standards, oversight models, and outcomes‑based measures intended to offer new pathways for program approval and federal funding access. Why it matters: Accreditation determines institutions’ access to federal student aid and research dollars. Department funding for novel accreditors could reshape institutional accountability and open routes for non‑traditional providers and employer‑aligned programs. Higher ed leaders should expect tighter federal scrutiny as pilots scale and rules evolve.