Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals With Disabilities Program-Stepping-Up Technology Implementation (ETechM2 Program)

Overview:

The purpose of the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program (ETechM2 Program) is to improve results for children with disabilities by (1) promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; (2) supporting educational activities designed to be of educational value in the classroom for children with disabilities; (3) providing support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for use in the classroom; and (4) providing accessible educational materials to children with disabilities in a timely manner.

This competition includes one absolute priority. Absolute Priority: For FY 2025 this priority is an absolute priority. The absolute priority is from the allowable activities in, or otherwise authorized under, the statute.  We consider only applications that meet this priority. This priority is: Use of Evidence-based Technology-based Tools or Approaches that Improve Reading Outcomes for Children with, or At Risk for, Disabilities.

The purpose of this priority is to support the implementation of evidence-based technology-based tools or approaches that improve reading outcomes for children with, or at risk for, disabilities (hereafter referred to as “children with disabilities”) in pre-kindergarten (PK), elementary, middle, or high school instructional settings;

Through this priority, the Department intends to fund five cooperative agreements to establish and operate projects that achieve, at a minimum, the following expected outcomes:

(a) Improved reading outcomes for children with disabilities in PK-12 instructional settings using an evidence-based technology-based tool or approach; 
(b) Improved educator implementation of an evidence-based technology-based tool or approach to deliver evidence-based instruction and interventions to improve reading outcomes for children with disabilities; 
(c) Improved educator and family engagement regarding the use of an evidence-based technology-based tool or approach to improve reading outcomes for children with disabilities; and
(d) Sustained use of the evidence-based technology-based tool or approach within the instructional setting.

Application Requirements: At a minimum, to be considered for funding under this priority in the application, applicants must describe the—

(a) Evidence-based technology-based tool or approach that improves reading outcomes and is ready to use at the time of the application;
(b) Reading outcomes of children with disabilities that will be improved by implementing the technology-based tool or approach;
(c) Approach to increase educators' implementation of the technology-based tool or approach to improve the reading outcomes of children with disabilities in an instructional setting; and
(d) Accessible products and resources  that will help educators and families to effectively use and implement the technology-based tool or approach.

In addition to these application requirements, to be considered for funding under this priority, applicants must meet the following requirements:

(a) In the narrative section of the application under “Significance” describe how the proposed project will address the need for a technology-based tool or approach to improve reading outcomes for children with disabilities. To meet this requirement applicants must—

(1) Describe the developed technology-based tool or approach and core components that improve reading outcomes that are based on at least promising evidence;
(2) Describe the educators who will implement the technology-based tool or approach and the population of children with disabilities who will benefit from the technology-based tool or approach;
(3) Describe how the technology-based tool or approach is currently being implemented and has improved reading outcomes for children with disabilities, if applicable;
(4) Describe any Federal funding, if applicable, within the last five years related to this technology-based tool or approach, how the funding has supported development and current implementation, and demonstrated improved outcomes for children with disabilities;
(5) Describe how the technology-based tool or approach will improve educators' implementation of evidence-based reading instruction to improve outcomes for children with disabilities in PK-12 instructional settings; and
(6) Present applicable national, State, regional, or local data demonstrating the need for the identified technology-based tool or approach to enhance the reading outcomes for children with disabilities.

(b) Demonstrate, in the narrative section of the application under “Quality of the project design” how the proposed project will—

(1) Develop and refine products and resources that incorporate principles of universal design for learning to support full implementation and use of the technology tool or approach to improve reading outcomes for children with disabilities; 
(2) Recruit and engage educators and children with disabilities who are intended to benefit from the technology-based tool or approach; and
(3) Address barriers or challenges of implementation and utilize stages of implementation science with a variety of sites, such as public or private school buildings or early childhood settings, to support, sustain, and scale the evidence-based technology-based tool or approach.

To address this requirement, the applicant must include the following—

(i) Two product and resource development sites. Applicants must describe at least two proposed product and resource development sites, where the project would conduct iterative development of the products and resources intended to support the implementation of the technology-based tool or approach and produce, by the end of year one, preliminary feasibility and usability data. Applicants must include a letter in Appendix A from at least one site that indicates agreement to serve as a product and resource development site, at a minimum, in year one of the project.
(ii) Three pilot sites, one of which must be a site that is eligible for Title I funds under Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Pilot sites are the sites in which ongoing refinement of the developed products and resources, and the continued collection of feasibility and usability data, will occur. Applicants must describe how they would work with a minimum of three pilot sites no later than year two of the project, where the project would continue to refine the developed products and resources; collect feasibility and usability data; and demonstrate that the educational technology-based tool or approach is improving reading outcomes for children with disabilities.
(iii) Ten dissemination study sites, three of which must be sites that are eligible for Title I funds under Part A of the ESEA. Applicants must describe and complete work with a minimum of five dissemination sites by the end of year three and another five by the end of year four of the project period, to evaluate the performance of the technology-based tool or approach on educators' implementation and reading outcomes for children with disabilities. Dissemination sites would receive less implementation support from the project than development and pilot sites.

Other information:

Pre-Application Webinar Information: The Office of Special Education Programs and Rehabilitative Services will record a pre-application webinar for this competition, available at www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/osers/osep/new-osep-grant-competitions, within five days after publication of this notice. In addition, applicants may view information on this competition at www.ed.gov/about/ed-offices/osers/osep/new-osep-grant-competitions.

Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $400,000 for a single budget period of 12 months.
Project Period: Up to 60 months.
Type of Award: Cooperative Agreements.

Vision Grants

Overview:

The Spencer Foundation invests in research to improve education, broadly conceived. There is a critical need for innovative, methodologically and disciplinarily diverse, large-scale research projects to transform education systems for equity. Importantly, we believe that ambitious research must begin with the challenges, problems, and opportunities in education systems. To stimulate research that addresses this need, the Spencer Foundation seeks to provide scholars and collaborators with the time, space, resources, and support to plan a large-scale study or program of research: geared toward real-world impact on equity; drawing on research across disciplines and methods; reliant on meaningful and equitable collaboration with practitioners, policymakers, communities, and other partners; and focused on transforming educational systems.   

The Vision Grants program funds the collaborative planning of innovative, methodologically diverse, interdisciplinary research on education that contributes to transforming education systems for equity. Vision Grants are research planning grants to bring together a team, for 6 to 12 months, to collaboratively develop ambitious, large-scale research projects focused on transforming educational systems toward greater equity. This program takes as core that visionary, interdisciplinary, and collaborative research projects require time, space, and thoughtfulness to incubate and plan. Vision Grants are $75,000 total. Different from many of Spencer’s other programs, the proposal should not be a fully fleshed out research plan. Instead, this is an invitation to think forward about what research we need to transform education systems toward equity and then to envision how that systems-change will happen, utilizing research evidence.  Teams are encouraged to reflect on the people who need to be involved from the beginning of the research design process, and how evidence from the eventual research study/studies could be used to actually transform systems. Vision Grant proposals should identify the system(s) targeted for transformation and the specific levers the team thinks need to be engaged in order to work toward systems transformation.  

Proposals should also explicitly identify: 

1. a research topic and initial thoughts about scope and methodological approach of the study,  
2. the plan for impact, identifying the levers for systems change that will likely be engaged 
3. the collaboration process, and  
4. a team that will lead to a fully fleshed out research plan by the end of the grant period. 

Solicitation limitations:

PIs and/or Co-PIs may be involved with another Spencer funded grant or proposal as PI and/or Co-PI, in addition to being named as a PI and/or Co-PI on a Vision Grant proposal.

Other information:

The Intent to Apply is required to submit a proposal to the Vision Grants program. Full Proposals are due September 17, 2025.

While the Vision Grant program stands on its own to spark research ideas and collaborations, being awarded a Vision Grant is also a prerequisite for applying to our Transformative Research Grant program (TRG, $3.5 million), which is designed for large-scale research projects that transform education systems for equity. 

U.S. Mission Kazakhstan PSD, Alumni Engagement and Outreach

Overview:

This Funding Opportunity invites potential partners to propose innovative approaches to engage USG exchange alumni and strengthen their role as advocates for strong, mutually beneficial ties between the United States and Kazakhstan. Proposed programs should focus on sustained outreach, strategic communications, and professional engagement that reinforce alumni connections to the U.S. Mission, the American people, and promote shared prosperity, economic cooperation, and strengthening of long-term bilateral ties.  Activities should build on lessons learned, foster network growth, and highlight the continued relevance of U.S. values and expertise across Kazakhstan. 

Project Audience(s): 

• USG exchange alumni from 2019-2025
• Established USG alumni (IVLP, TechWomen, Fulbright, Humphries, AWE, etc.)
• Bachelor’s degree 

Project Goal: Increase the visibility and influence of U.S. Government (USG) exchange alumni to publicly share their exchange experience, and amplify American approaches to innovation, leadership, and economic growth by empowering them to take on more visible leadership roles in their communities and professional fields on U.S. Mission priorities.

Project Objectives: 

• Objective 1: Expand the USG Alumni Network
  Increase alumni engagement by reaching at least 2,000 USG exchange alumni through targeted communication, events, and outreach efforts over the course of the project, resulting in a 25% increase in active participation across alumni platforms (such as Mission’s social media, alumni chats, groups), networks, or activities that promote U.S. excellence. Active participation is defined as alumni attending at least two events, engaging with the Mission’s social media or alumni platforms by posting or commenting at least five times.
• Objective 2: Promote U.S. Economic Leadership through Alumni Engagement
  Increase understanding of key aspects of U.S. economic leadership, such as digital innovation, entrepreneurship, and workforce development in energy sectors by organizing at least four alumni-focused events across Kazakhstan (e.g., professional networking, speaker series, or sector-specific roundtables). At least 50% of participants will report increased knowledge of U.S. economic models and identify specific ways they plan to apply or share this knowledge within their professional or community settings.
• Objective 3: Reconnect Alumni with U.S. Counterparts to Showcase American Expertise
  Increase the number of alumni-led initiatives that address local challenges by bringing together alumni and U.S. exchange counterparts (such as host institutions, mentors, or professional contacts) to share U.S. expertise with local communities through targeted events or collaborative activities. Each initiative will directly engage local stakeholders and promote U.S. excellence by demonstrating how alumni are applying lessons from their exchange experience to address local challenges, resulting in at least ten (10) quality community engagement activities led by USG alumni, as measured through pre-post event/activity surveys assessing attitudes about U.S. expertise and the role of USG alumni in local communities.

Other information:

Funding Instrument Type:  Cooperative agreement. Cooperative agreements include substantial involvement of the bureau or embassy in program implementation of the project

Project Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed in 12 months or less. 

ECMC Foundation: Open Letter of Inquiry

Overview:

The Foundation is focused on improving postsecondary education outcomes so that all students have a better chance of career success. The scope of higher education includes credit-bearing career and technical education (CTE), and other two- and four-year postsecondary credentials. The Foundation focuses particularly on improving outcomes for underserved populations and is committed to evaluation and learning from our grantmaking and field expertise to drive evidence-based innovation in higher education.

The Foundation aims to drive systemic change, getting at the root causes of complex challenges in higher education, not just the symptoms. This may mean tackling the biases, institutional, system-level or state or federal policies, resource allocation and flows, and financial and life circumstances that create barriers to success for underserved learners.

Our strategic priorities represent a three-pronged approach to creating systemic change in higher education that includes creating immediate change by removing obstacles that stand in the way of learner success right now; equipping institutions and organizations to better serve learners; and evolving the postsecondary ecosystem over time to become more adaptive, resilient, and capable of delivering better college completion outcomes for all students.

• Removing barriers to postsecondary completion--We bolster programs that directly support learner success by meeting the unique needs, goals and aspirations of today’s learners
• Building the capacity of organizations, systems and institutions--We strengthen the capacity of higher education institutions, systems, and other support and service organizations to improve outcomes for today’s learners and evolve to meet the changing needs of learners.
• Transforming the postsecondary ecosystem--We support large-scale, cross-sector collaborations and innovations that have the potential to transform the postsecondary ecosystem so that more students, especially those farthest from opportunity, have a better chance of earning a postsecondary degree or credential.

Growing Our Initiatives
To drive systemic change, we focus a substantial portion of our strategic grantmaking and program-related investments on initiatives. As the Foundation evolves in its learning, existing initiatives will grow and new initiatives will be developed. An initiative represents the Foundation’s commitment to working toward systemic change in or through an area of the postsecondary ecosystem. All grantmaking and investing related to an initiative will be strategically connected to the initiative. 

Established initiatives include:

1. Basic Needs Initiative -- Our multipronged approach aims to decrease the percentage of postsecondary students experiencing basic needs insecurity by 10% by 2033.
   Strategies for Action: To realize this ambitious-but-possible goal, ECMC Foundation addresses basic needs insecurity in postsecondary education by supporting programs and solutions that align with the following strategies.
   1. Growing Data Capacity: Incorporate use of data to understand effectiveness of basic needs interventions on student experiences, nonacademic outcomes and academic outcomes.
   2. Scaling Effective Practices: Leverage, improve and modernize local, state and federally funded basic needs services that align to the evolving needs of today’s students and expand use of services.
   3. Informing Policy Reform: Advance the understanding of policy change to remove structural barriers to basic needs services and promote student success.
2. CTE Leadership Collaborative Initiative -- The CTE Leadership Collaborative (LC) Initiative brings together diverse perspectives and equips postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) leaders with the tools, resources and skills needed to advance the field. Across the country, there is a critical shortage of qualified workers needed to fill middle-skill jobs—jobs that require more education and training than a high school diploma, but less than a four-year college degree. Many of the middle-skill jobs in high-demand industries, like manufacturing, information technology and healthcare, pay family-sustaining wages and can be accessed by attaining postsecondary career and technical education (CTE) credentials. While CTE programs in high-demand fields exist, the quality and outcomes of programs vary, research and awareness of best practices are limited, and leadership and professional development opportunities are uncommon.
3. Rural Impact Initiative -- In response to sparse data and wide-ranging potential impact, the Rural Impact Initiative aims to enhance the field’s understanding of the unique opportunities, assets and challenges of rural postsecondary institutions and learners and to ultimately increase completion rates and build the capacity of organizations, institutions and systems to support rural learners.
4. Parenting Student Success Initiative -- By funding and supporting the work of grantee partners, ECMC Foundation strives to make strategic investments so that parenting students can realize their educational dreams, fostering a brighter and more equitable future for them and their children. 

Remaining Strategically Responsive 
In addition to our initiatives, we make grants and investments through our open letter of inquiry process. As we pursue systemic change in the postsecondary ecosystem, we remain committed to funding evidence-based innovation with the flexibility to adapt as the higher education landscape evolves. We reserve funding for projects that do not fit within one of our established initiatives but are connected to one or more of our strategic priorities.

Our Commitment to Learning and Evaluation
As part of our commitment to embodying a culture of humility and responsiveness, learning and evaluation is evolving and increasing its role significantly through our strategic framework. Learning and evaluation is a driving influence of initiative strategies to ensure that the work within each initiative is moving toward the initiative goals, advancing a learning agenda and is aligning to one or more strategic priorities.

In recent years, ECMC Foundation has strengthened attention to learning and evaluation and is developing a robust approach befitting the growth of the Foundation’s grantmaking and our strategic focus on systemic change. This approach will be ongoing and iterative, incorporating data from applications, reports and conversations with grantees to make evidenced-based decisions. Centered in equity and focused on systemic change, learning and evaluation is being integrated into the entire strategy development and works in close partnership with the grantmaking and investing teams. Grantees are essential partners in all stages of the Foundation’s learning and evaluation processes.

Other information:

ECMC Foundation makes grants and investments with durations ranging from one year to five years and amounts from $50,000 to over one million dollars. The grant period and funding amount varies based on the proposed request, however our average grant duration is two years and our average grant size is $500,000.

All new requests for funding will be required to meet one or more of the strategic priorities under the strategic framework.

LOI Deadline: ECMC Foundation’s open application and rolling deadline make us unique among national foundations. Our LOI process is open, meaning organizations do not need to be invited to apply. Each LOI, whether solicited or not, is processed the same way internally. And there’s no specific timeline for submission – LOIs are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis (all year long), which means there are no deadlines or missed windows of opportunity.

Kigali Public Diplomacy APS, U.S. Mission to Rwanda

Overview:

This funding opportunity is designed to strengthen the U.S. government’s relationship with local communities in Rwanda, advance mutual goals, and amplify the positive impact of collaborative projects. We encourage innovative proposals that address the below outlined priority areas. 

Priority Program Areas: This funding opportunity aims to maximize the impact of U.S. government investments by supporting projects that: 

• Promote Leadership through Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM): Proposals should integrate STEM education through innovative projects that develop expertise, foster problem-solving abilities, and prepare young Rwandans for future challenges and opportunities. 
• Promote Media Professionals’ Capacity and Digital Literacy Among Youth: Proposals should aim to expand competencies with digital tools and storytelling. These initiatives help young reporters and changemakers foster a well-informed society. 
• Promote Sports Diplomacy: Proposals should focus on fostering cooperation and economic growth through sports. By creating opportunities for cultural exchange and building stronger international relationships, sports diplomacy helps individuals and communities connect across borders and cultures, and develop alternate economic revenues to increase self-reliance. 
• Promote Professional Skills Development: Proposals should aim to equip individuals with the necessary skills for career advancement and economic growth. By supporting professional skills development, these initiatives help improve the quality of the workforce, ensuring that individuals are better prepared to meet the demands of the modern job market and contribute to their communities' overall prosperity. 
• Enhance English Proficiency: Proposals should focus on improving English proficiency, as it enhances global communication and provides educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional growth. By supporting English language education, individuals can better engage in international dialogue, access more information, and participate in global economic activities. 

Participants and Audiences: Priority will be given for project proposals that focus on youth audiences (over the age of 15), business and professional audiences.

Other information:

Program Performance Period: Proposed projects should be completed in 12 months or less.

Cost Sharing or Matching: Though not a requirement, the U.S. Embassy encourages proposals with cost-sharing.

Research Grants on Improving the Use of Research Evidence (IURE)

Overview:

This program supports research on strategies focused on improving the use, usefulness, and impact of evidence in ways that benefit young people ages 5-25 in the United States. We welcome impact studies that test strategies for improving research use as well as whether improving research use leads to improved youth outcomes. We also welcome descriptive studies that reveal the strategies, mechanisms, or conditions for improving research use. Finally, we welcome measurement studies that explore how to construct and implement valid and reliable measures of research use.

We are particularly interested in research on ways to improve the use of research evidence by state and local policymakers, mid-level managers, and intermediaries. These decision-makers play important roles in deciding which programs, practices, and tools to adopt; deliberating ways to improve existing services; shaping the conditions for implementation; and making resource allocation decisions.

We invite studies from a range of disciplines, fields, and methods, and we encourage investigations into various youth-serving systems, including justice, housing, child welfare, mental health, and education. Previous studies have drawn on conceptual and empirical work from political science, communication science, knowledge mobilization, implementation science, and organizational psychology, among other areas.

Finally, we welcome critical perspectives that inform studies’ research questions, methods, and interpretation of findings.

We welcome studies that pursue one of three aims:

1. Building, identifying, or testing ways to improve the use of existing research evidence. This may include:
   • Studies of strategies, mechanisms, or conditions that foster more routine and constructive uses of existing research evidence by decision-makers.
   • Studies that test the effects of deliberate efforts to improve routine and beneficial uses of research in decision-making.
2.  Building, identifying, or testing ways to facilitate the production of new research evidence that responds to decision-makers’ needs. This may include:
   • Studies to identify strategies for altering the incentive structures or organizational cultures of research institutions so that researchers conduct more practice- or policy-relevant studies and are rewarded for producing research that decision-makers consider useful.
   • Studies to identify the relationships and organizational structures that lead to the prioritization of decision-makers’ needs in developing research agendas.
   • Studies that examine ways to optimize organized collaborations among researchers, decision-makers, intermediaries, and other stakeholders to benefit youth.
3. Testing whether and under what conditions using research evidence improves decision-making and youth outcomes. This may include:
   • Studies that examine the impact of research use on youth outcomes and the conditions under which using research evidence improves outcomes.
   • The notion that using research will improve youth outcomes is a long-standing assumption, but there is little evidence to validate it. We suspect that the impact of research on outcomes may depend on a number of conditions, including the quality of the research and the quality of research use. One hypothesis is that the quality of the research and the quality of research use will work synergistically to yield strong outcomes for youth.
   • Studies to identify and test other conditions under which using research evidence improves youth outcomes.

These research interests call for a range of methods, including experimental or observational research designs, comparative case studies, or systematic reviews.

Eligible Studies: Only Studies that (1) align with the stated research interests of this program and, (2) relate to the outcomes of young people between the ages of 5 and 25 in the United States are eligible for consideration.

We do not support non-research activities such as program implementation and operational costs, or make contributions to building funds, fundraising drives, endowment funds, general operating budgets, or scholarships. Applications for ineligible projects are screened out without further review.

Other information:

Award Information
Major research grants
$100,000 to $1,000,000 over 2-4 years, including up to 15% indirect costs.

Officers’ research grants
$25,000–$50,000 over 1-2 years, including up to 15% indirect costs.

2025 Deadlines
Major Research Grants: January 8  |  May 7  |  August 6    
Officers' Research Grants: January 8  |  August 6

Research to Advance Racial & Indigenous Health Equity

Overview:

Applications for Rapid Response Research awards are due May 28, 2025; LOIs for New Research Support awards due July 16, 2025. 

Through this Call for Proposals, we will award up to $5 million in research grants to support actionable, solutions-oriented health equity research through two types of funding: 1) Rapid Response Research awards will support early- to mid-career health equity researchers whose work has been interrupted by federal funding shifts; and 2) New Research Support awards will fund community-driven research that uplifts the knowledge, expertise, and power of Indigenous and other historically marginalized communities of color to develop or test solutions that advance racial and Indigenous health equity.

1. Rapid Response Research awards are specifically intended to support early- to mid-career health equity researchers whose racial or Indigenous health equity research was interrupted by federal funding shifts. Project Directors (PD) for this award need not have been the Principal Investigator or PD of the originally funded project. Funds may cover a wide range of costs that were associated with the original research project. 

Rapid Response Research might be right for you if:

• Your federally funded racial or Indigenous health equity research project was directly interrupted by federal funding shifts. For the purpose of this award, interrupted means you received a formal cease and desist or stop-work letter or are unable to access the funds (e.g., the communication with your federal funding agent has been terminated).

• You are an early- to mid-career health equity researcher. For the purpose of this call, early- to mid-career is defined as within 10 years of completion of the highest earned degree for non-tenured track or non-academic positions, or pre-tenure through up to two years post-tenure for tenure-track faculty positions.

• Your background and life experiences are underrepresented on research teams, including Indigenous, Black, Latine, and other persons of color.

• You are not currently receiving more than 25% of your salary from an RWJF grant.

• Your research is aligned with E4A’s mission and values.

Evidence for Action (E4A) grantees are working in a broad range of topic areas to assess the health outcomes of various interventions aimed at addressing key determinants of health, with a particular focus on improving population health and equity.

For this single stage application process, Brief Proposals are due May 28, 2025 at 3pm EDT.

2. New Research Support awards will support research that centers community priorities and expertise to advance upstream solutions to racial and indigenous health equity. Lead applicant organizations must be community-based organizations with a strong track record of racial and/or Indigenous health equity work. 

Letters of Intent are due July 16, 2025 at 3pm EDT.

Solicitation limitations:

Rapid Response Research -- There is no maximum number of submissions per organization. However, there is an expectation that there will only be one application for each terminated federal grant or contract.

New Research Support -- Applicants may submit multiple LOIs or serve as a partner for another organization's LOI. There are no rigid restrictions against multiple submissions from the same applicant. However, there is limited funding available and we aim to be inclusive of a wide range of ideas and perspectives. We encourage you to think critically about the relative strengths of the projects for which you are considering submitting LOIs as it is highly unlikely that multiple awards will be made to the same applicant.

Other information:

Applications for Rapid Response Research awards are due May 28, 2025; LOIs for New Research Support awards due July 16, 2025. 

We expect to award approximately $2M in rapid response grants, with awards ranging from $50k to $200k for up to 24 months.

We expect to award approximately $3M in New Research Support grants. There will be two funding levels, with at least 4 projects of up to $250,000 and at least 4 projects of up to $500,000 funded. Grant durations will be up to 36 months.

Institutional Challenge Grant

Overview:

The grant requires that research institutions shift their policies and practices to value collaborative research. Institutions will also need to build the capacity of researchers to produce relevant work and the capacity of agency and nonprofit partners to use research.

We welcome applications from partnerships in youth-serving areas such as education, justice, prevention of child abuse and neglect, foster care, mental health, immigration, and workforce development. We especially encourage proposals from teams with African American, Latinx, Native American, and Asian American members in leadership roles. The partnership leadership team includes the principal investigator from the research institution and the lead from the public agency or nonprofit organization.

The Institutional Challenge Grant asks grantees to pursue four goals:

1. Grow an existing institutional partnership with a public agency or nonprofit organization. The research-practice partnership will have defined objectives, roles, and agreements, and will be built for the long term. In this way, the partnership will be mutually beneficial, enabling the partners to develop and pursue a joint research agenda that is relevant to the public agency or nonprofit organization’s work over an extended period of time.
2. Pursue a joint research agenda to reduce inequality in youth outcomes. The partnership’s research will aim to build, test, or increase understanding of programs, policies, or practices to reduce inequality in the academic, social, behavioral, or economic outcomes of young people ages 5-25 in the United States. Specifically, the research agenda will seek to inform responses to inequality on the basis of race, ethnicity, economic standing, sexual or gender minority status, language minority status, or immigrant origins.
3. Create institutional change to value research-practice partnerships within research institutions. The research institution will design a feasible strategy for institutional change that addresses observed structural, motivational, and financial barriers that inhibit research-practice partnerships at the institution. By establishing structural supports and incentives that encourage skilled, mid-career researchers to conduct joint work with policymakers and practitioners, the institution will develop an environment for partnerships to thrive.
4. Enhance the capacity of both partners to collaborate on producing and using research evidence. Through new experiences that foster deeper understandings of a given policy or practice context and deepen relationships with partners, grantees on the research side will enhance their capacity for participating in effective partnerships. At the same time, the public agency or nonprofit partner will enhance their own capacity to partner with researchers , as well as understand, conduct, and use research through activities such as technical assistance, infrastructure improvements, or staff training.

Solicitation limitations:

Eligible principal investigators: The Foundation makes grants only to tax-exempt organizations. 

Other information:

Eligible partnerships

• We are most interested in supporting existing research-practice partnerships that will use the grant to continue learning and growing.

While the competition is open to partnerships at different stages of maturity, the grant is intended to add significant value to what already exists. As a general guideline, the partnership should be far enough along to conduct the proposed work, but not so established that the grant adds little value to what is currently in place.

U.S. Embassy Philippines Public Affairs Section (PAS) Annual Program Statement (APS)

Overview:

PAS Philippines invites proposals for projects that strengthen ties between the Philippines and the United States through programming that promotes U.S. interests and bilateral cooperation.  All programs must include an American element or connection with American expert(s), organization(s), and/or institution(s) in a specific field that will promote increased understanding of U.S. policies and perspectives. 

PRIORITY PROGRAM AREAS 
Priority will be given to project proposals that further one or more of the U.S. Embassy’s goals, including:  

• Proposals that commemorate the 80th anniversary of U.S.-Philippines diplomatic relations and/or the 75th anniversary of the Mutual Defense Treaty in 2026; 
• Programs that enhance U.S.-Philippines security cooperation, including deterring illegal maritime activities, promoting adherence to international law, and encouraging peaceful resolution of disputes; 
• Programs that promote mutual prosperity and foster closer economic ties between the United States and the Philippines; 
• Programs that support a free and open Indo-Pacific region by developing stronger linkages between the United States, the Philippines and other countries in the region; 
• Programs that celebrate the excellence of figures past and present who made the U.S.-Philippines relationship stronger. 

Other examples of APS programs include, but are not limited to: 

• Programs that counter malign foreign influence. 
• Sports, music, and arts programs that highlight the robust history of U.S.-Philippines relationship and/or bilateral goals. 
• Programs that engage emerging leaders, youth-led non-profit organizations, and student leaders, on priority program areas or advancing leadership and innovation skills. 
• Programs that develop the skills of the U.S. government alumni network and associations on organizational management and formalization to U.S. standards  
• U.S. experts conducting speaking tours, public talks, roundtable discussions, workshops, etc. 
• Academic and professional lectures and seminars 
• STEM and innovation developmental programs that support strategic priorities 
• Capacity-building workshops/webinars or information campaigns that engage established opinion leaders (such as policymakers, industry leaders, decision-makers, academe, think tanks, NGOs, CSOs, and media) to address any of these priority program areas. 
• Programs that equip Philippine higher education institutions with tools for internationalization efforts in collaboration with U.S. higher education institutions, or programs that foster academic linkages and partnerships. 
• Programs that protect activities that are under threat due to violations of the Philippines’ sovereign rights and are critical to lives and livelihoods. 

Other information:

Participants and Audiences: PAS Philippines’ target audiences include national and regional media; NGOs and think tanks; government officials (state, district, and municipal officials; policy makers, civil servants); cultural and educational leaders; next generation leaders (e.g., innovators, digital influencers, campus leaders, elected youth officials); and universities. 

Program Performance Period: Proposed programs are usually completed in one year or less but may be extended in special circumstances. 

Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year and will be reviewed in July. 

Learning Disabilities Foundation of America Grant

Overview:

Applications must be for projects which conform to the mission of the Learning Disabilities Foundation of America by responding to an unmet need in the field of learning disabilities. Funds are granted for charitable, scientific, literary or educational purposes or for the identification, ongoing evaluation, education of and services for children and adults with learning disabilities. Examples of project areas that fall within this philosophy:

• Innovative research into the causes, the prevention and/or the alleviation of learning disabilities
• Distinctive public awareness programs to advance public understanding of the needs of persons with learning disabilities
• Innovative programs to advance the achievement of persons with learning disabilities, increase the support skills of their families, support academic and professional advisors, and enhance the understanding of learning disabilities by their colleagues and employer

Other information:

Grant Application Policy

• Grant applications are considered twice each year by the Foundation Board of Managers. Next application deadline is September 15, 2025.
• Projects of national impact and projects that may be replicated are given preference.
• Grants will not be made for routine organizational expenses (ex. Salaries, Overhead), capital campaigns, endowment funds. *Exception of certain funds restricted for use by the LD Association of America.           
• Grants will not be made to individuals or for individual scholarships.
• The Board of Managers of the Foundation may request an interview with the primary facilitator and/or site visit, in addition to the written grant application.

Grants can only be made to an organization within the United States or any of its possessions exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code and contributions to which are tax deductible.