Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 101526 002
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), through its National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), is offering the Transformative Research in Special Education grant competition (Assistance Listing Number 84.324T) to fund early-stage work aimed at breakthroughs in special education. This opportunity is designed for projects that take on problems widely viewed as stubborn or difficult to solve and that require more than incremental improvements. The program is explicitly looking for "transformative" efforts: bold ideas that may be risky, that draw on interdisciplinary perspectives, and that use strong research methods to develop solutions with a real chance of producing dramatic, scalable gains for students with disabilities or students at risk for disabilities.
For the FY 2027 focus described in the notice, the competition centers on Phase 1 grants aimed at preservice teacher education systems. In practical terms, the agency wants researchers and developers to rethink and improve how future teachers are recruited into the profession, trained during preparation programs, and retained through the transition into the workforce. The emphasis covers both general education and special education teachers serving preK-12 settings, with the end goal of producing educators who are ready to deliver high-quality instruction and meaningfully improve student outcomes for learners with or at risk for disabilities. The underlying idea is that strengthening the preservice pipeline and the systems surrounding it can remove barriers that currently limit teacher readiness, persistence, and effectiveness in serving students with diverse learning and support needs.
A key feature of this grant program is its tolerance for well-justified risk in exchange for potentially high reward. Applicants are expected to propose innovative approaches rather than minor adjustments to existing practice, while still grounding their work in scientifically valid research. The program encourages collaboration across disciplines, which could include, for example, education research, special education, psychology, learning sciences, implementation science, organizational change, data science, or human-centered design, so long as the resulting work maintains rigorous standards and aims for solutions that can scale beyond a single site or program.
This is a discretionary grant competition administered by the U.S. Department of Education under Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 101526 002. The award ceiling is listed as $3,750,000, signaling that IES anticipates substantial projects with enough scope to support meaningful research and development activity. While the posting does not specify the number of expected awards in the provided source text, the funding level indicates an intent to support ambitious Phase 1 efforts that can generate strong evidence, viable prototypes, or clearly articulated models ready for further testing and expansion.
Eligibility is broad but capacity-driven. The opportunity is open to institutions that can conduct scientifically valid research. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, institutions of higher education as well as nonprofit, for-profit, public, or private organizations and entities. This structure allows universities, research firms, development organizations, school-related nonprofits, and other capable entities to apply, including partnerships, as long as the applicant can credibly carry out rigorous research and development work aligned to the program's goals.
The original closing date listed for applications is December 11, 2026, and the opportunity record indicates a creation date of October 16, 2026. Overall, the competition is best read as an invitation to design and study next-generation preservice teacher preparation solutions that can strengthen the special education and general education workforce pipeline, with an explicit expectation that funded projects will pursue innovative, interdisciplinary, and scalable approaches capable of producing major improvements in outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.Apply for ED GRANTS 101526 002
- The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Transformative Research in Special Education, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.324T" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.324.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-10-16.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-12-11. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,750,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is this grant opportunity?
This is the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) Transformative Research in Special Education grant competition administered through the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). It is identified as Assistance Listing Number 84.324T and is focused on early-stage work intended to produce major breakthroughs in special education.
What is the main purpose of the Transformative Research in Special Education program?
The program is intended to support bold, early-stage research and development aimed at solving problems in special education that are widely seen as stubborn or difficult to solve. The emphasis is on work that goes beyond incremental improvements and has a real chance of producing dramatic, scalable gains for students with disabilities or students at risk for disabilities.
What does "transformative" mean in this competition?
In this competition, "transformative" refers to projects that propose bold ideas that may be risky but are well-justified, interdisciplinary, and grounded in strong, scientifically valid research methods. The goal is to develop solutions that could lead to dramatic improvements at scale, rather than small refinements to existing practices.
What fiscal year focus is described in the notice provided?
The focus described is for FY 2027, and it centers on Phase 1 grants aimed at preservice teacher education systems.
What is the main topic area for the FY 2027 Phase 1 competition?
The Phase 1 competition centers on preservice teacher education systems, specifically rethinking and improving how future teachers are recruited, trained during preparation programs, and retained as they transition into the workforce.
Which educators are the focus of this preservice teacher education emphasis?
The emphasis includes both general education and special education teachers serving preK-12 settings, with a focus on preparing educators to deliver high-quality instruction that improves outcomes for students with disabilities or students at risk for disabilities.
What student populations is the competition ultimately intended to benefit?
The competition is intended to benefit students with disabilities and students at risk for disabilities by strengthening the preservice pipeline and surrounding systems that influence teacher readiness, persistence, and effectiveness in meeting diverse learning and support needs.
What kinds of problems is this grant trying to solve?
The opportunity is aimed at problems in special education that are widely viewed as stubborn or difficult to solve and that require more than incremental improvements. For the FY 2027 focus described, those problems are tied to preservice teacher education systems and workforce pipeline challenges.
Is the program open to high-risk, high-reward ideas?
Yes. A stated feature of the program is tolerance for well-justified risk in exchange for potentially high reward, as long as the work is grounded in scientifically valid research and aims for scalable solutions.
Does the program require rigorous research methods even if projects are innovative?
Yes. Applicants are expected to propose innovative approaches rather than minor adjustments, while still grounding the work in scientifically valid research and maintaining rigorous standards.
Are interdisciplinary teams encouraged?
Yes. The program encourages collaboration across disciplines as long as the resulting work maintains rigorous standards and aims for solutions that can scale beyond a single site or program.
What are examples of disciplines that could be relevant for an interdisciplinary team?
The notice indicates that relevant disciplines could include education research, special education, psychology, learning sciences, implementation science, organizational change, data science, or human-centered design, among others, as long as the project remains rigorous and aligned to the program goals.
Does the competition emphasize scalability?
Yes. The program is looking for solutions with a real chance of producing dramatic, scalable gains, and it encourages approaches that can scale beyond a single site or program.
What type of grant is this?
This is a discretionary grant competition administered by the U.S. Department of Education.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON) for this competition?
The Funding Opportunity Number provided is ED GRANTS 101526 002.
What is the Assistance Listing Number for this competition?
The Assistance Listing Number is 84.324T.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is listed as $3,750,000.
Does the provided information say how many awards will be made?
No. The provided source text does not specify the number of expected awards.
What does the award ceiling suggest about the scale of projects IES expects?
The listed award ceiling suggests that IES anticipates substantial projects with enough scope to support meaningful research and development activity, including ambitious Phase 1 efforts that can generate strong evidence, viable prototypes, or clearly articulated models ready for further testing and expansion.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad but capacity-driven. The opportunity is open to institutions that can conduct scientifically valid research. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, institutions of higher education and nonprofit, for-profit, public, or private organizations and entities.
Are universities eligible to apply?
Yes. Institutions of higher education are explicitly included among eligible applicants.
Are nonprofits and for-profits eligible to apply?
Yes. The eligibility language includes nonprofit and for-profit organizations, as well as public or private organizations and entities, provided they can conduct scientifically valid research.
Are partnerships allowed under this eligibility approach?
The opportunity describes eligibility broadly and notes that entities including partnerships may apply as long as the applicant can credibly carry out rigorous research and development work aligned to the program goals.
What is the application deadline listed in the provided information?
The original closing date listed for applications is December 11, 2026.
What is the opportunity record creation date listed in the provided information?
The opportunity record indicates a creation date of October 16, 2026.
What kinds of outcomes or deliverables does IES appear to be looking for from Phase 1 work?
Based on the description provided, IES appears to be looking for Phase 1 efforts that can generate strong evidence, viable prototypes, or clearly articulated models that are ready for further testing and expansion.
What is the core idea behind focusing on preservice teacher education systems?
The core idea described is that strengthening the preservice pipeline and the systems around it can remove barriers that currently limit teacher readiness, persistence, and effectiveness, leading to better instruction and improved student outcomes for learners with or at risk for disabilities.
Is this opportunity limited only to special education teacher preparation programs?
No. The described emphasis covers both general education and special education teachers in preK-12 settings, with an end goal of preparing educators to improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.
Does the program want minor tweaks to existing teacher preparation approaches?
No. The program explicitly prioritizes innovative approaches rather than minor adjustments to existing practice, while still requiring scientifically valid research methods.
What is the overall invitation implied by this competition?
Overall, the competition is best read as an invitation to design and study next-generation preservice teacher preparation solutions that strengthen the special education and general education workforce pipeline, with an explicit expectation of innovative, interdisciplinary, and scalable approaches capable of producing major improvements in outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.
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| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center on Education Research (NCER): From Seedlings to Scale, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.305J Apply for ED GRANTS 101526 001 Funding Number: ED GRANTS 101526 001 Agency: Department of Education Category: Education Funding Amount: $500,000 |
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