Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program - Early-Phase Grants

Overview

Purpose of Program: The EIR program, established under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA), provides funding to create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated 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 more students.

The central design element of the EIR program is its multi-tier structure that links the amount of funding an applicant may receive to the quality of the evidence supporting the efficacy of the proposed project, with the expectation that projects that build this evidence will advance through EIR’s grant tiers: ‘‘Early-phase,’’ ‘‘Mid-phase,’’ and ‘‘Expansion.’’ ‘‘Early-phase,’’ ‘‘Mid-phase,’’ and ‘‘Expansion’’ grants differ in terms of the level of prior evidence of effectiveness required for consideration for funding, the expectations regarding the kind of evidence and information funded projects should produce, the level of scale funded projects should reach, and, consequently, the amount of funding available to support each type of project.

Early-phase grants must demonstrate a rationale (as defined in this notice). Early-phase grants provide funding for the development, implementation, and feasibility testing of a program, which prior research suggests has promise, for the purpose of determining whether the program can successfully improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students. Early-phase grants are not intended simply to expand established practices or address needs that are unique to one particular context. Rather, the goal is to determine whether and in what ways relatively new practices can improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students.

The FY 2023 Early-phase competition includes five absolute priorities and one competitive preference priority. All Early-phase applicants must address Absolute Priority 1. Early-phase applicants are also required to address one of the other four absolute priorities (applicants may not submit under more than one of the other four absolute priorities). All applicants have the option of addressing Competitive Preference Priority 1 and may opt to do so regardless of the absolute priority they select. Applicants addressing Absolute Priority 5 also have the option to address Competitive Preference Priority 2.

Absolute Priority 1 - Demonstrates a Rationale: Establishes the evidence required for this tier of grants. All Early phase applicants must submit prior evidence of effectiveness that demonstrates a rationale. 

Absolute Priority 2 - Field-Initiated Innovations - General: Gives applicants the option to propose projects that are field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment. 

Absolute Priority 3 - Field-Initiated Innovations - Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities: Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) is intended to support innovations to improve student achievement and attainment in the STEM education field, consistent with efforts to ensure our Nation’s economic competitiveness by improving and expanding STEM learning and engagement.

Absolute Priority 4 - Field-Initiated Innovations - Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs: Intended to promote high-quality social and emotional learning projects. 

Absolute Priority 5 - Field-Initiated Innovations - Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities: Educator Recruitment and Retention is intended to elevate and strengthen the educator workforce in ways that prioritize innovation in recruiting and retaining educators in supporting high-need students.

Competitive Preference Priority 1 - Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities: Implementers and Partners: Intended to encourage applicants to propose projects that promote partnerships with entities underrepresented under this program.

Competitive Preference Priority 2 - Supporting a Diverse Educator Workforce and Professional Growth to Strengthen Student Learning: Intended to encourage applicants to propose projects that promote an effective and diverse educator workforce by providing teachers a competitive wage and opportunities for advancement and leadership.

• IHE can only apply in partnership with LEA, SEA, or BIE. 
• Cost Sharing or Matching: Under section 4611(d) of the ESEA, each grant recipient must provide, from Federal, State, local, or private sources, an amount equal to 10 percent of funds provided under the grant, which may be provided in cash or through in-kind contributions, to carry out activities supported by the grant.

• Estimated Number of Awards: 17-38.
• We will not make an award exceeding $4,000,000 for a project period of 60 months. The maximum award amount a grantee may receive under these three competitions (Expansion (84.411A), Mid-phase (84.411B), and Early-phase (84.411C), taken together, is $15,000,000.