Land Grant College Centenary Complete Sheet of Fifty 3 Cent Stamps Scott 1065 A land-grant university (also called land-grant college or land-grant institution) is an institution of higher education in the United States designated by a state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890. The Morrill Acts funded educational institutions by granting federally controlled land to the states for them to sell to raise funds to establish and endow "land-grant" colleges. Buy with confidence. Serving collectors for more than 40 years.