OSERS-OSEP: Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services: Focus Area B Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with Low Incidence Disabilities. CFDA Number 84.325K-2 | ED GRANTS 101515 002

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 101515 002

This funding opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), under the Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services program (CFDA 84.325K). The specific focus area described here is Focus Area B, which centers on preparing qualified personnel to serve school-age children with low incidence disabilities. In practical terms, the competition is aimed at building the workforce pipeline in specialized areas of special education and related services where staffing shortages are common and the expertise required is highly specific.

The overall purpose of the program is twofold. First, it is designed to help address personnel preparation needs that States have identified in special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education roles that support children with disabilities (including infants and toddlers, although this particular focus area is geared toward school-age children). Second, it seeks to ensure that the professionals trained through these grants leave with the skills and knowledge they need to be effective, and that those skills are grounded in practices supported by scientifically based research and experience. The emphasis is not just on producing more graduates, but on improving the quality and readiness of the professionals who will work directly with children with disabilities in real educational settings.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education (IHEs) and private nonprofit organizations. The opportunity listing also indicates eligibility for public and State-controlled IHEs, private IHEs, and nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they otherwise meet the program requirements). Because this synopsis is not the full Federal Register notice, applicants are expected to rely on the official notice for the exact eligibility rules, required partnership structures (if any), competitive preferences, absolute priorities, and other conditions that can affect whether an application will be accepted and reviewed.

This is a discretionary grant competition, meaning awards are made competitively based on how well applications meet the published selection criteria and program priorities. The award ceiling listed is $250,000, and the competition anticipated making about 14 awards. The original closing date shown for submission was December 14, 2015, with the opportunity created on October 15, 2015. These dates matter because they frame the specific competition cycle referenced here; similar programs may re-open in other years under updated notices, but applicants must always follow the requirements tied to the specific posting and Federal Register publication for the cycle they are applying to.

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. The process described requires applicants to download the application package from Grants.gov, complete it offline, and then upload and submit it through the system. The notice explicitly states that applications cannot be submitted by email. It also highlights an easy-to-miss detail: when searching on Grants.gov, applicants should search using the base CFDA number (84.325) rather than the version with the letter suffix (so search "84.325" and not "84.325K"). That instruction is included to prevent applicants from failing to find the correct package due to formatting differences in the Grants.gov search tool.

Finally, the synopsis repeatedly stresses that it is only a summary of the official Federal Register application notice. Critical items like pre-application and application requirements, detailed submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, and program contact information are contained in the Federal Register notice, which is treated as the authoritative source. The synopsis also points applicants to the Government Publishing Office site for free access to the official Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations, reinforcing that applicants should verify details directly in the official publication before developing or submitting a proposal.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS-OSEP: Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services: Focus Area B Preparing Personnel to Serve School-Age Children with Low Incidence Disabilities. CFDA Number 84.325K-2" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.325.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2015-10-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-12-14. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 101515 002

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