OSERS-OSEP: Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for the Development and Implementation of High-Quality Instruction, Interventions, and Services for Children with Disabilities CFDA Number 84.326C | ED GRANTS 080719 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 080719 001

This funding opportunity is a U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) competition to create and operate a national Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center focused on improving instruction, interventions, and services for children with disabilities. The Center is intended to strengthen how schools design and deliver individualized educational programming so that children with disabilities can make meaningful progress toward challenging goals and objectives, taking into account each child’s circumstances. In practical terms, the project is meant to build and spread actionable knowledge, organize and curate high-quality resources, and actively disseminate guidance and tools that educators and school leaders can use to improve outcomes for students with disabilities.

The grant sits under the broader OSERS mission of improving early childhood, educational, and employment outcomes while raising expectations for individuals with disabilities, their families, and communities. It is funded through the Technical Assistance and Dissemination to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities program (CFDA 84.326C), which emphasizes evidence-based improvement: providing technical assistance (TA), disseminating useful information, supporting model demonstration efforts when applicable, and promoting practices grounded in scientifically based research. The overall direction of the Center is not simply to publish materials, but to help education systems actually implement high-quality approaches in real settings and to make those approaches easier to adopt and sustain.

A central feature of the work is supporting organizations responsible for delivering instruction and services. The notice specifically calls out local educational agencies (LEAs), charter management organizations (CMOs), private school associations, and schools as key audiences. That means the Center’s products and TA are expected to be designed for the people and institutions making day-to-day decisions about special education programming, instructional strategies, and intervention systems. The Center’s scope is broad enough to serve different school contexts, but focused enough to center on the quality of individualized programming and the kinds of instruction and interventions that improve progress toward ambitious, individualized goals.

This is a discretionary grant awarded as a cooperative agreement, which typically indicates a more active federal role in shaping or overseeing the project compared with a standard grant. The competition anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1), with an award ceiling of $2,000,000. The funding instrument and single-award structure suggest the Department intended to establish one primary national Center to coordinate this work at scale, rather than funding multiple smaller projects.

Eligibility is wide and includes many types of public and private entities that can credibly operate a national TA and dissemination center. Eligible applicants include state, county, city/township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses, along with other applicants as clarified in the official notice. This breadth is typical for TA center competitions, since strong applicants often involve partnerships that combine research capacity, implementation experience, dissemination infrastructure, and established relationships with schools and agencies.

Key administrative details in the synopsis include the timeline and applicant supports. Applications were made available August 7, 2019, with a deadline for transmittal of applications of September 6, 2019. To help applicants prepare, OSERS planned to post pre-recorded pre-application informational webinars no later than August 12, 2019, and to open a pre-application Q&A blog by the same date. The blog was designed specifically for questions about application requirements and remained open until August 26, 2019, after which applicants were directed to contact the program officer. The listed federal contact for this competition was David E. Emenheiser at the U.S. Department of Education, including phone and email for direct inquiries.

The synopsis repeatedly emphasizes that the authoritative requirements are in the Federal Register application notice, and that applicants should also follow the Department’s Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (referenced as published February 13, 2019, 84 FR 3768). Those documents govern core elements such as how to submit an application, required forms and assurances, performance measures, program priorities, and any specific pre-application or submission rules. The notice also references that the competition relates to an approved information collection under OMB control number 1820-0028, signaling that applicant reporting and data collection expectations are tied to an established federal clearance.

In short, the opportunity funded one national Center charged with developing and sharing practical, evidence-informed resources and providing technical assistance to improve the design and implementation of high-quality, individualized instruction and services for children with disabilities. The intended end result is better educational progress toward challenging goals for students with disabilities, achieved by strengthening the capacity of schools, districts, charter networks, and private school organizations to implement effective practices consistently and well.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS-OSEP: Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center for the Development and Implementation of High-Quality Instruction, Interventions, and Services for Children with Disabilities CFDA Number 84.326C" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.326.
• This funding opportunity was created on Aug 07, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Sep 06, 2019 Applications Available August 7, 2019. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications September 6, 2019. Pre-Application Webinar Information No later than August 12, 2019, OSERS will post pre-recorded informational webinars designed to provide technical assistance to interested applicants. The webinars may be found at www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html. Pre-Application Q amp A Blog No later than August 12, 2019, OSERS will open a blog where interested applicants may post questions about the application requirements for this competition and where OSERS will post answers to the questions received. OSERS will not respond to questions unrelated to the application requirements for this competition. The blog may be found at www2.ed.gov/fund/grant/apply/osep/new-osep-grants.html and will remain open until August 26, 2019. After the blog closes, applicants should direct questions to the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. ADDRESSES For the addresses for obtaining and submitting an application, please refer to our Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on February 13, 2019 (84 FR 3768), and available at www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-02-13/pdf/2019-02206.pdf. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT David E. Emenheiser, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 5134, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-5076. Telephone (202) 245-7556. Email David.Emenheiser@ed.gov.. (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 $2,000,000.00 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 (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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