OSERS: OSEP: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program--National Center on Digital Access in Education, Assistance Listing Number 84.327Z | ED GRANTS 0103243 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 0103243 001

This grant opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, within OSERS and OSEP, under the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program. The specific competition is for a National Center on Digital Access in Education, listed under Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.327Z. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally means the Department expects to have substantial involvement with the awardee during the project period (for example, in shaping activities, coordinating deliverables, or participating in ongoing oversight and technical discussions), rather than operating as a hands-off, standard grant.

The overall purpose of the program is to improve results for children with disabilities by strengthening how technology, media, and instructional materials are developed, made accessible, and used in classrooms. The notice highlights four core aims: promoting the development, demonstration, and use of technology; supporting educational activities that have practical value in the classroom for children with disabilities; providing support for captioning and video description that is appropriate for classroom use; and ensuring accessible educational materials reach children with disabilities in a timely manner. In plain terms, the program is designed to reduce barriers to learning by improving both the supply of accessible options (materials and media) and the capacity of educators and systems to use them effectively.

This particular competition is centered on digital access in education, implying a national-level effort to address accessibility challenges tied to digital learning environments, tools, and content used in schools. While the synopsis does not list detailed required activities, a "National Center" award typically supports work such as developing and disseminating guidance and resources, providing technical assistance, coordinating with stakeholders, identifying and scaling evidence-based practices, and supporting implementation across states, districts, schools, and partner organizations. Because the synopsis directs applicants to the Federal Register notice for the authoritative details, the precise project design expectations, priorities, deliverables, and performance measures must be taken from that official notice rather than inferred from the summary alone.

Eligibility is broad and includes State educational agencies (SEAs); local educational agencies (LEAs), including public charter schools that qualify as LEAs under state law; institutions of higher education (IHEs); other public agencies; private nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits); freely associated states and outlying areas; Indian Tribes or Tribal organizations; and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses, as reflected in the listing). In practice, this means the competition is open to many types of entities with the capacity to run a national center, manage partnerships, and deliver products and services at scale.

The opportunity is listed as discretionary and anticipates a single award. The award ceiling is $1,800,000, and the posting indicates one expected award, suggesting a single national center recipient rather than multiple smaller awards. The original application closing date shown is March 4, 2024. Prospective applicants are directed to follow the Department of Education's Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 7, 2022) for application submission logistics, and to rely on the Federal Register application notice for the definitive requirements on pre-application steps (if any), required forms and narratives, submission procedures, performance reporting expectations, competition priorities, and contact information.

At a high level, a strong application for a cooperative-agreement national center in this space would typically need to demonstrate deep expertise in accessible digital learning; credible plans for nationwide reach and impact; strong partnerships across disability, education, and technology communities; practical deliverables that educators and systems can adopt; and a clear approach to measuring outcomes aligned with the Department's performance measures. The official Federal Register notice is the controlling document for what must be included and how the proposal will be reviewed, so any planning should start by mapping proposed activities directly to the published priorities and required deliverables in that notice.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS: OSEP: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program--National Center on Digital Access in Education, Assistance Listing Number 84.327Z" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.327.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-01-03.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-03-04. (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 $1,800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Others.

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