Teaching with Primary Sources Program (TPS)

Overview

The Teaching with Primary Sources program has been the Library of Congress’s premier educational outreach program. The goals of the program have included providing instructional materials, tools, education and professional development that enhance teachers’ ability to integrate digitized primary sources from the Library of Congress into instruction that builds student literacy, critical thinking skills, content knowledge and ability to conduct original research.  

The purpose of this notice is to identify awardee organizations that will design and implement educational projects in which the Library’s digitized primary sources and other online materials are central to teaching and learning. The Library seeks to solicit project proposals that expand the body of innovative strategies, tools, and materials for meaningful teaching and learning with Library of Congress materials. 

Specifically, the Library of Congress seeks to make awards to support the creative and wide-ranging educational use of Library online resources that serves sub populations of Americans based on their unique professions, ethnicities, geographic locations, abilities, interests, affiliations, and other attributes. 

In support of the Library’s mission to use its collections to connect with those representing diverse communities, beliefs, and endeavors to engage, inspire, and inform Congress and the American people with a universal and enduring source of knowledge and creativity, the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives Office (PLOI), within the Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement, has broadened the focus of TPS awards to include the design of educational projects using Library of Congress materials for use in and outside of formal classroom settings. 

Proposed projects may focus on diverse content areas such as Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), literacy (including media literacy), social studies, civics, art, teacher education, public health, journalism, justice and equality, and other areas that coincide with applicants’ passions, expertise, and professional experience. However, the project must address demonstrated educational needs of specific recipient populations and provide solutions that standard practice, documented experience, or research suggest would be effective. 

Projects must use the Library’s collections for one or more of the following approaches: 

• Deliver educational programming to various categories of learners; 
• Create and distribute educational materials or tools for teaching specific content; 
• Convene meetings of like organizations to devise strategies for furthering common learning and teaching goals with Library of Congress materials; and/or 
• Conduct research with significant practitioner involvement that investigate 

Expected Results 

1. Design, develop and implement an educational project that specifies population(s), numbers of learners targeted, methodology for meeting learning goals, products, or materials to be developed using Library of Congress digitized primary resources and other online resources. 
2. Make needed modifications to materials funded by the award based on critical feedback from users and Library staff. 
3. Obtain all necessary permissions, releases and/or other clearances that must be acquired for use of any content to be included by awardee in awardee’s educational materials, programs, and tools. Such permissions, releases and/or other clearances may pertain to, but are not limited to, copyright, right of publicity, right of privacy, defamation, or any other right whatsoever. This does not include Library of Congress digital materials that are rights-free and public domain use.  
4. Enter into an agreement with the Library and openly license to the public any new copyrightable materials created in whole, or in part, with these award funds, as described in Section B.2. 
5. Ensure that the curriculum, instructional materials, tools and accompanying products are made available online through channels approved by Library of Congress staff. 
6. Maintain public access to the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award for a minimum of five years after the end of the period of performance for the cooperative agreement. 
7. Disseminate the curriculum, instructional materials and tools developed under the award through existing networks of subsidiary and partner organizations. 
8. Attend and participate in at least two TPS Consortium meetings per year, held in Washington, DC, elsewhere in the U.S, or via a virtual platform. 
9. Participate in the TPS Educational Consortium by sharing ideas, methods, and information to enhance the development and dissemination of the national program and provide access to networks and communities that can help broaden the reach and applicability of the TPS program. 
10. Join and become active in at least one Consortium Interest Group created to build other Consortium members’ capacity to enhance their materials, programming, or tools to reach underserved groups of educators or learners. 
11. Participate in Consortium-wide TPS program design, testing, research, and evaluation activities, as requested, to support the quality of TPS resources and the efficacy of TPS program processes. 
12. Participate in promotional efforts and outreach activities that inform potential program participants of the availability of the educational opportunities, curriculum, instructional materials and tools created under this award. 
13. Participate in a TPS orientation and fundamentals program. (The Library intends to offer virtual and onsite options). Awardees should be available to participate in up to 10 hours of the orientation.

The Library will accept only one proposal from the same organizational department. There is no limitation on being included as a potential sub-awardee in multiple applications submitted by other prime applicants. The use of teaming arrangements is not allowed. Applications from individuals will not be accepted.  

Submission Information 
All proposals must be submitted electronically via email to [email protected]. Proposals submitted through Grants.gov will not be accepted. 

Applicants must not have received prior funding from the Teaching with Primary Sources program directly from the Library of Congress.

Intellectual Property and Data Availability 
The Awardee provides an open license to the public for any new copyrightable materials created in whole, or in part, with these award funds and openly licenses to the public any copyrightable modifications made to pre-existing content using these award funds. 

All materials must be labeled as open educational resources (OER).  

Period of Performance: 12 months: 10/1/2024 – 9/30/2025 

Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement