The U.S. Department of Education announced the launch of the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) grant competition for 2017. EIR is a new grant program established in the Every Student Succeeds Act and is the successor of the Obama Administration’s Investing in Innovation grant program (i3), which invested $1.4 billion in 172 i3 projects across all 50 states.
Like its predecessor, EIR supports state and local efforts to develop, implement and take to scale innovative and evidence-based projects. About 25 percent of EIR grant funds will support rural areas.
EIR differs from i3 in a few ways: states, in addition to districts, states will now be eligible to receive grants, and states and districts may also collaborate with a wider range of organizations on their EIR projects.
EIR will award grants for new and ongoing projects:
Early-phase grants are focused on launching, iterating and refining innovative new practices that have the potential for future scaling; and,
Mid- and Expansion-phase grants require increasingly rigorous levels of evidence in order to justify further replication and scaling of the practice.
The deadline for intent to apply is February 13, 2017, and the applications are due April 13, 2017. The estimated range of awards is as follows:
Early-phase grants: $700,000-$800,000 per year
Mid-phase grants: $1,400,000-$1,600,000 per year
Expansion grants: $2,750,000-$3,000,000 per year
Grantees may design projects up to 5 years in duration.
For more information, see:
