Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Innovation and Early Learning Programs: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program Expansion Grants Assistance Listing Number 84.411A | ED GRANTS 091225 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 091225 001

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), is offering a discretionary grant competition under the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program for Expansion Grants (Assistance Listing Number 84.411A). EIR is authorized under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. The central aim of the program is to support entrepreneurial, field-initiated, evidence-based innovations that can improve student achievement and educational attainment for high-need students, while also requiring rigorous evaluation of those innovations. This particular notice is limited to Expansion grants, meaning the Department is focused on funding efforts that replicate or take to scale interventions that already have meaningful evidence behind them, rather than funding brand-new, untested ideas. A separate notice covers Mid-phase grants, and the Department indicates it does not intend to run an Early-phase competition, although it may still fund certain high-scoring, previously unfunded applicants from FY 2024 EIR competitions.

Eligible applicants are broad and include local educational agencies (LEAs), state educational agencies (SEAs), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), and consortia of SEAs or LEAs. Nonprofit organizations may apply as well, and there is also an explicit pathway for partnerships: an LEA, SEA, BIE, or eligible consortium can apply in partnership with a nonprofit organization, a business, an educational service agency, or an institution of higher education (IHE). The notice also clarifies how nonprofit status must be documented under 34 CFR 75.51, such as IRS recognition under 501(c)(3), certification from a state taxing authority or attorney general, or incorporation documents establishing nonprofit status. For IHE-related entities, eligibility depends on structure and nonprofit status: IHEs may participate as partners; a private nonprofit IHE can qualify; a nonprofit foundation affiliated with a public IHE can qualify; and a public IHE can qualify only if it has 501(c)(3) status. A public IHE without 501(c)(3) status does not qualify as a nonprofit for purposes of applying directly for and receiving an EIR award.

The competition includes specific guidance for applicants seeking to qualify as “rural” under EIR. To be considered a rural applicant, the applicant must meet two conditions: first, the applicant must be an LEA with an eligible NCES urban-centric locale code (32, 33, 41, 42, or 43), a consortium of such LEAs, or an educational service agency or nonprofit organization partnering with such an LEA (with an additional option for certain grantees partnering with an SEA). Second, a majority of the schools served by the proposed project must also be designated with one or more of those same locale codes. This rural definition is important because it can affect how an applicant frames eligibility and alignment with any rural-related priorities or considerations in the full Federal Register notice.

From the funding details provided in the source data, the opportunity is listed as ED GRANTS 091225 001, with an application closing date of October 14, 2025. The award ceiling is $15,000,000, and the Department anticipates making approximately four awards. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary and uses a grant as the funding instrument. While this synopsis highlights major elements, the Department emphasizes that the controlling requirements are in the official Federal Register application notice, including priorities, required application components, submission rules, evaluation criteria, performance measures, and contact information. Applicants are also directed to follow the Department’s “Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs” (published August 29, 2025, 90 FR 42234) for standardized submission and procedural requirements, including where and how to obtain and submit an application.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Innovation and Early Learning Programs: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program Expansion Grants Assistance Listing Number 84.411A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.411.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-09-12.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-10-14. (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 $15,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 091225 001

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