Applications Now Open for $159M in Education Innovation and Research Grants from ED's OESE

The U.S. Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education has begun accepting applications for $159 million in grants budgeted for the Education Innovation and Research Program, which aims to develop, implement, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and to rigorously evaluate such innovations.

“The EIR program is designed to generate and validate solutions to persistent education challenges and to support the expansion of those solutions to serve substantially higher numbers of students,’ ED’s grant announcement states.

The EIR program’s multi-tier structure pegs funding amounts to the quality of evidence presented by an applicant; applications for “early phase” grants, for example, with well-founded rationales for proposals not yet implemented would be required to show no evidence of success, while applications for “mid-phase” grants would be required to meet higher standards of evidence supporting the project’s effectiveness, according to ED’s website for the EIR grant program.

Eligible to apply are local education agencies; state education agencies; Native American tribal governments or tribal organizations; nonprofits; a consortium of state or local education agencies; and other groups defined within the Federal Register grant announcement.

The EIR program requires cost-sharing and/or matching.

Following are the deadlines and projected funding amounts for each phase of EIR grants:

  • Early-Phase EIR Grants:
    • 11–20 awards of up to $4 million each
    • Deadline for notice of intent to apply: May 26, 2022
    • Deadline to apply: July 21, 2022
  • Mid-Phase EIR Grants:
    • 5–12 awards of up to $8 million each
    • Deadline for notice of intent to apply: May 27, 2022
    • Deadline to apply: June 21, 2022
  • Expansion-Phase EIR Grants:
    • 1–5 awards of up to $15 million each
    • Deadline for notice of intent to apply: May 27, 2022
    • Deadline to apply: July 21, 2022

Find more details, how to apply, and tips for applicants at ED’s website for the EIR grant program.

About the Author

Kristal Kuykendall is editor, 1105 Media Education Group. She can be reached at [email protected].


Featured

  • female technology director leading a meeting

    Navigating the First Year as a Female Technology Director: A Journey of Leadership and Empowerment

    For women in the landscape of technology leadership, the first year is both a proving ground and a powerful platform. It's a year of listening deeply, learning quickly, leading boldly, and paving the way for others.

  • toolbox featuring a circuit-like AI symbol and containing a screwdriver, wrench, and hammer

    Microsoft Launches AI Tools for Educators

    Microsoft has introduced a variety of AI tools aimed at helping educators develop personalized learning experiences for their students, create content more efficiently, and increase student engagement.

  • horizontal stack of U.S. dollar bills breaking in half

    ED Abruptly Cancels ESSER Funding Extensions

    The Department of Education has moved to close the door on COVID relief funding for schools, declaring that "extending deadlines for COVID-related grants, which are in fact taxpayer funds, years after the COVID pandemic ended is not consistent with the Department’s priorities and thus not a worthwhile exercise of its discretion."

  • three main icons—a cloud, a user profile, and a padlock—connected by circuit lines on a blue abstract background

    Identity Has Become a Critical Security Perimeter for Cloud Services

    A new threat landscape report from Fortinet points to new cloud vulnerabilities. According to the company's 2025 Global Threat Landscape Report, while misconfigured cloud storage buckets were once a prime vector for cybersecurity exploits, other cloud missteps are gaining focus.