Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Program and Grantee Support Services: Comprehensive Centers Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.283B | ED GRANTS 051324 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 051324 001

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), is offering a discretionary grant competition under the Comprehensive Centers Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.283B). The central aim of this program is to fund the establishment and operation of Comprehensive Centers that deliver capacity-building support to education agencies and schools. In practical terms, these centers are meant to help State educational agencies (SEAs), regional educational agencies (REAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and individual schools strengthen their ability to improve teaching and learning. The program is explicitly focused on improving educational opportunities and outcomes, closing achievement gaps, and raising the overall quality of instruction for all students, with particular attention to student groups that face the greatest needs.

A key emphasis in the program description is support for schools identified for improvement under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), specifically the school improvement provisions in section 1111(d). That includes schools implementing Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) as well as Targeted Support and Improvement (TSI) or Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI). The intent is that Comprehensive Centers will provide technical assistance and other forms of structured, evidence-informed support that helps these schools and the agencies that oversee them plan, implement, and sustain improvement strategies. The overarching direction is capacity-building, meaning the work is not just to provide one-time services, but to strengthen systems, staff expertise, and processes so agencies and schools can continue improving after the assistance ends.

Eligibility is broad but tied to demonstrated capability. Eligible applicants include research organizations, institutions, agencies, institutions of higher education (both public/state-controlled and private), and partnerships among these entities. Individuals may also apply if they can demonstrate the ability or capacity to carry out the activities described in the official notice. The eligibility language also references certain regional entities with prior experience operating under earlier federal education research and support authorities (including activities associated with the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 as it existed prior to November 5, 2002, and Title XIII of ESEA as it existed prior to January 8, 2002). Applicants may apply as a consortium, but they must follow the consortium requirements described in the Department of Education regulations at 34 CFR 75.127-129.

From an administrative and funding standpoint, this opportunity is listed as Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 051324 001, categorized as a discretionary grant in the education funding activity area. The application closing date provided is June 24, 2024. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $6,000,000, and the Department anticipates making approximately 18 awards. The opportunity record shows a creation date of May 13, 2024. These figures provide a general sense of the competition scale, but applicants typically need to consult the official Federal Register notice for details on award periods, budgets, and any constraints on allowable costs.

The published description repeatedly stresses that it is only a synopsis and that the controlling requirements are in the official Federal Register application notice. That official notice is where applicants must look for the full set of rules and expectations, including eligibility nuances, required pre-application or application components, how and where to submit, program priorities, performance measures, and contact information for program staff. The notice also directs applicants to the Department of Education Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 7, 2022) for standardized guidance on obtaining and submitting applications. In short, the program funds organizations with the expertise to run Comprehensive Centers that strengthen education systems and accelerate improvement efforts, especially for schools and students with the greatest needs, and the Federal Register notice is the authoritative source for the full application requirements and selection criteria.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Program and Grantee Support Services: Comprehensive Centers Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.283B" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.283.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-13.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-24. (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 $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 18 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 051324 001

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