Research in Special Education

CFDA 84.324 Active Project Grants Project Grants (Contracts)
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Program Funding

Annual program obligations reported to SAM.gov.

Latest annual funding (estimated)
$64.3M FY2025
$54M
FY16
$53.9M
FY17
$56M
FY18
$56M
FY19
$56.5M
FY20
$58.5M
FY21
$52.5M
FY22
$69.1M
FY23
$69.9M
FY24*
$64.3M
FY25*
* estimated

Funded Projects

Examples of what this program has supported.

FY2024 In Fiscal Year (FY) 2024, we awarded 68.1 million in project grants and 1.8 million in contracts. These numbers include funds that were appropriated in FYs 23 and 24.

Program Objective

To support scientifically rigorous research contributing to the solution of specific early intervention and education problems associated with children with disabilities.

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

  • Public nonprofits
  • Other public organizations
  • Small businesses
  • For-profit organizations
  • Private nonprofits
  • Other private organizations

Applicants that have the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, non-profit and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and institutions, such as colleges and universities.

Beneficiaries

  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68

Infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities or at risk for disabilities benefit from this research.

How to Apply

Application Procedure

Grant competitions are announced in the Federal Register and on the agency website (http://ies.ed.gov/funding/).
Standard Form 424 ("Application for Federal Assistance"), an application narrative, and required certifications must be submitted by the deadline specified in the Federal Register.
The Requests for Application grant notices (available on http://ies.ed.gov/funding) describe the substantive requirements for applications and provide information on how to prepare and submit applications electronically through Grants.gov.
The Application Packages provide all of the required forms and are available on http://www.grants.gov. Letters of Intent are encouraged but not required.
Grant applications to Institute of Education Sciences (IES) competitions must be submitted via the Grants.gov government-wide portal that allows potential applicants to find grant opportunities and apply for grants.
The Grants.gov registration process can take several weeks. Interested applicants should begin the registration process well in advance of application deadlines. Individuals planning to submit an application on behalf of their organization must ensure that (1) their institution/organization is registered with Grants.gov and (2) they register themselves as Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs) well before the competition deadline. Grants.gov registration information can be found at http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

Award Procedure

Grant applications that are responsive and compliant to the Requests for Applications are evaluated by expert reviewers for scientific and technical merit. Scientific reviews are conducted in accordance with the review criteria stated in the Request for Applications and the review procedures posted on the IES website, http://ies.ed.gov/director/sro/peer_review/application_review.asp, by a panel of scientists who have substantive and methodological expertise appropriate to the program of research and Request for Applications.

Awards are competitive, with the following criteria considered in making award decisions for responsive and compliant applications: Scientific merit as determined by peer review, performance and use of funds under a previous federal award, contribution to the overall program of research described in the Request for Applications, and availability of funds.

240 days - 330 days.

Program details & compliance

Use of Funds

Allowed Uses

Funds may be used for research on children with or at risk for disabilities and training in special education research.

Reporting & Compliance

Audit Required
Yes

Contacts

Nathan Jones
(202) 708-5954
Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research, Office of the Commissioner, 550 12th Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20202
Data from SAM.gov Federal Assistance Listings. Source published: 2024-11-15. Spec v1.0. Last synced: 2026-06-01 05:55:20.