Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Innovation and Early Learning Programs: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program—Mid-Phase Grants Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.411B | ED GRANTS 042722 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 042722 002

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), offered a discretionary grant competition under the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) program for Mid-Phase grants (Assistance Listing Number 84.411B). The EIR program is authorized under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended, and it is built around the idea that promising, practical education innovations should not only be implemented, but also tested with serious evidence and then expanded when they are proven to work. In plain terms, the program is meant to help applicants create or strengthen solutions to long-standing education problems, especially for high-need students, and to generate credible findings about whether those solutions improve student achievement and attainment.

This specific opportunity focused only on Mid-Phase grants, which sit in the middle of EIR's three-tier structure: Early-Phase, Mid-Phase, and Expansion. The tiered design is a defining feature of EIR because it ties the size and purpose of an award to how strong the existing evidence is behind the proposed approach. Early-Phase is for newer ideas with less evidence; Expansion is for approaches with strong evidence that are ready to grow to much larger scale. Mid-Phase is the bridge between the two: it supports programs that already have some proof behind them and now need a stronger, more rigorous test to confirm impact and, when feasible, cost-effectiveness. Mid-Phase applications must be backed by "moderate evidence" (as defined in the official notice) and are intended for innovations that have already been implemented successfully, including those previously supported by an Early-Phase EIR grant or another effort that meets similar conditions.

The core purpose of Mid-Phase funding is implementation plus rigorous evaluation. Applicants are expected to run the program in real settings and evaluate it in a way that can credibly measure outcomes and attribute results to the intervention, not just describe participation or satisfaction. The notice also highlights an interest in measuring cost-effectiveness when possible, and it encourages the use of existing administrative data if that can strengthen the study design or reduce burden. Overall, Mid-Phase grants are meant to move an innovation from "promising and supported by some evidence" to "validated enough to justify broader adoption or eventual scaling."

Eligible applicants for this competition were broad and included many types of organizations involved in education and public service. The eligibility list included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education under that category); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; and other entities as described in the additional eligibility language in the official notice. This wide eligibility reflects the program's emphasis on field-initiated innovation, where strong ideas may come from school systems, universities, nonprofits, tribal entities, or private-sector partners.

In terms of funding scale, the opportunity listed an award ceiling of $8,000,000 per grant, with an estimated 12 awards expected. The opportunity was published with a creation date of April 27, 2022, and applications were made available on April 29, 2022. Key deadlines included a notice of intent to apply due May 27, 2022, a full application transmittal deadline of June 21, 2022, and an intergovernmental review deadline of August 22, 2022. The Department also noted it would post additional competition information for prospective applicants on the EIR program website, which is commonly used to share guidance, FAQs, and updates that help applicants navigate required elements and submission expectations.

The listing repeatedly emphasizes that the short description is only a synopsis and that the controlling guidance is the official Federal Register notice. Applicants were directed to consult that notice for the details that typically determine competitiveness and compliance, such as the exact eligibility rules, required evidence standards, application components, submission procedures, priorities, performance measures, and contact information. It also pointed applicants to the Department's Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 27, 2021) for the standardized rules on how to obtain and submit an application.

For direct program questions, the notice provided a federal contact: Yvonne Crockett at the U.S. Department of Education, along with the program email address (eir@ed.gov) and phone number (202) 453-7122. The funding opportunity number associated with this competition was ED GRANTS 042722 002, and the activity category was Education. Overall, this Mid-Phase EIR competition was designed for applicants who already have a credible, moderately supported educational intervention and are ready to implement it more broadly while producing rigorous evidence about impact, and ideally cost-effectiveness, with a strong focus on improving outcomes for high-need students.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Innovation and Early Learning Programs: Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program—Mid-Phase Grants Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.411B" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.411.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 27, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2022 Applications Available April 29, 2022. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply May 27, 2022. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 21, 2022. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review August 22, 2022. Pre-Application Information The Department will post additional competition information for prospective applicants on the EIR program website https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/innovation-early-learning/education-innovation-and-research-eir/fy-2022-competition/. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Yvonne Crockett, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 3E344, Washington, DC 20202-5900. Telephone (202) 453-7122. Email eir@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 $8,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 12 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, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for ED GRANTS 042722 002

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: