OSERS-OSEP: Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Preparation of Special Education and Early Intervention Administrators, Assistance Listing Number 84.325D | ED GRANTS 052725 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 052725 005

The U.S. Department of Education, through the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), is offering a discretionary grant opportunity under Assistance Listing Number 84.325D titled "Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities - Preparation of Special Education and Early Intervention Administrators." This competition is focused on strengthening the leadership pipeline in special education and early intervention by supporting the preparation of administrators who can improve services and outcomes for children with disabilities, including infants and toddlers. The summary provided in the posting is only a synopsis, and applicants are expected to rely on the official Federal Register notice for the full requirements, priorities, performance measures, and submission rules, along with the Department's Common Instructions for Applicants to Discretionary Grant Programs (Federal Register notice dated December 23, 2024).

At its core, the program has two connected purposes. First, it is meant to help address needs that States have identified around personnel shortages or gaps in preparation across special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education roles that serve children with disabilities. Second, it aims to ensure that the professionals prepared through these projects have the skills and knowledge to succeed in real-world settings, drawing from practices supported by scientifically based research and experience. In practical terms, the grant is designed to help universities and their partners train leaders who can oversee and improve systems that deliver special education and early intervention services, with an emphasis on effectiveness and evidence-based practice.

Eligibility is limited primarily to institutions of higher education (IHEs) and private nonprofit organizations, but there is an important condition tied to the competition's absolute priority. To meet that absolute priority, the eligible applicant must be an IHE that has a doctoral degree program specifically intended to prepare scholars in special education administration or early intervention administration. Alternatively, a private nonprofit organization may apply if it has the legal authority to enter into grants and cooperative agreements with the Federal government on behalf of an eligible IHE that has that qualifying doctoral program. In other words, the competition is structured to ensure that the funded work is anchored in doctoral-level administrator preparation in special education or early intervention administration, either directly through the university applicant or through a nonprofit applying on the university's behalf.

For nonprofit organizations, the notice also highlights how nonprofit status can be demonstrated under 34 CFR 75.51. Acceptable documentation includes proof of current IRS recognition as a 501(c)(3) organization, certification from a State taxing authority or the State attorney general that the organization operates as a nonprofit and that no net earnings benefit private individuals, or incorporation documents that clearly establish nonprofit status. If the applicant is a local affiliate of a State or national parent organization, the affiliate may use the parent organization's documentation as long as it is accompanied by a statement from the parent organization confirming the affiliate relationship.

The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 052725 005. It is a grant (not a contract or cooperative agreement) and is categorized under education funding activities. The application closing date shown is June 26, 2025, and the Department anticipates making around six awards. The posting does not specify an award ceiling in the provided excerpt, so applicants would need to consult the Federal Register notice for details such as maximum award amounts, project period, matching requirements (if any), selection criteria, required partnership elements, and any required trainee supports or service obligations that are common in OSEP personnel preparation programs.

Anyone considering applying should plan to read the official Federal Register application notice closely, because that is where the Department lays out the binding requirements: the absolute priority language, any competitive preference priorities, the required project design features, the evidence expectations, the performance measures, and the technical submission instructions. The Common Instructions document referenced in the synopsis is also important because it governs standard Department-wide procedures for discretionary grants, including how to obtain and submit an application and other cross-cutting rules that can affect eligibility, formatting, and compliance.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS-OSEP: Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities—Preparation of Special Education and Early Intervention Administrators, Assistance Listing Number 84.325D" 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 2025-05-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-26. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 052725 005

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