Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 080626 005
The Institute of Education Sciences (IES), through its National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER), is offering a discretionary grant program called "Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education" (Assistance Listing Number 84.324S). The core purpose of this opportunity is to help states use their Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDSs) more effectively to generate solid evidence that can guide real program and policy decisions affecting students with disabilities, as well as students who are at risk for disabilities. In practice, the program is meant to strengthen how state agencies and their local education agencies (LEAs) use linked, long-term data to answer policy-relevant questions, evaluate initiatives, and improve outcomes across the special education landscape.
A central feature of this competition is its emphasis on rigorous research capacity. Applicants need to demonstrate that they can design and carry out strong, credible studies using longitudinal data. While state agencies are clearly a natural fit, eligibility is broad: nonprofits, for-profits, public and private agencies, and institutions such as colleges and universities can all apply, as long as they can show the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research. The program is designed to encourage partnerships that combine state data access and policy needs with research expertise, so collaborations between state agencies and universities, research firms, or other specialized organizations are explicitly allowed and often practical.
A key requirement is that every application must include the relevant state entity that actually owns or is responsible for the education issue, program, or policy being studied. This is not optional or symbolic; the grant is built around state policymaking, so the state agency (or state postsecondary system) responsible for the target sector must be part of the proposed work. Eligible state agencies are not limited to the State Educational Agency (SEA) for K-12. The announcement specifically recognizes that critical special education policy questions span multiple sectors, so eligible state partners can include agencies responsible for early intervention, prekindergarten, career and technical education, and postsecondary education. A state postsecondary system can also serve as the eligible state agency, which matters for projects focused on transitions to college, persistence, completion, or workforce outcomes for students with disabilities.
In terms of what the funding supports, the intent is to use SLDS data to produce actionable evidence for decision-makers. That typically means studying how policies or programs are working over time, for which students, under what conditions, and with what longer-term outcomes. Because SLDSs can connect data across years and sometimes across sectors (for example, early childhood to K-12, K-12 to postsecondary), they are especially useful for evaluating trajectories such as identification patterns, service delivery, inclusion, academic growth, discipline, graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and other milestones that matter for students with disabilities. The opportunity is framed around supporting state and local decisions, so projects should be designed with clear policy relevance and a pathway for findings to inform agency actions.
Administratively, this is a U.S. Department of Education grant. The Funding Opportunity Number is ED GRANTS 080626 005, and the Opportunity Category is Discretionary, with the Funding Instrument Type listed as Grant. The assistance listing is 84.324. The posted award ceiling is $1,200,000. The original closing date shown is 2026-10-01, and the opportunity record indicates a creation date of 2026-08-06. The listing also signals that awards are expected, though the exact number is not specified in the provided text.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a way for states and qualified research partners to turn existing longitudinal education data into credible evidence that can directly shape special education policymaking. It encourages cross-sector state participation, supports partnerships that bring strong research methods to real agency questions, and focuses on improving decisions and outcomes for learners with disabilities or those at risk through smarter use of SLDS infrastructure and data.Apply for ED GRANTS 080626 005
- The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.324S" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.324.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-08-06.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-10-01. (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 $1,200,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "Using Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking in Special Education."
Which federal office is offering this program?
It is offered by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) through its National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) within the U.S. Department of Education.
What is the Assistance Listing Number for this opportunity?
The Assistance Listing Number is 84.324S (with the assistance listing shown as 84.324).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is ED GRANTS 080626 005.
What type of funding is this?
This is a discretionary grant program, and the funding instrument type is listed as a Grant.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The core purpose is to help states use their Statewide Longitudinal Data Systems (SLDSs) more effectively to produce solid, actionable evidence that can guide real program and policy decisions affecting students with disabilities and students at risk for disabilities.
What does the program mean by using "longitudinal data"?
In this context, it refers to linked, long-term education data that can track students over time (and sometimes across sectors), allowing agencies and researchers to study outcomes, trajectories, and the impacts of policies or initiatives over multiple years.
What is an SLDS, and why does it matter for this grant?
An SLDS is a Statewide Longitudinal Data System. The grant is centered on using SLDS data to answer policy-relevant questions, evaluate initiatives, and improve decision-making across special education by leveraging data that can be linked over time and potentially across education sectors.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is broad and includes nonprofits, for-profits, public and private agencies, and institutions such as colleges and universities, as long as the applicant can demonstrate the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous research using longitudinal data.
Are state agencies the only eligible applicants?
No. While state agencies are a natural fit because of their policymaking role and data access, the competition allows a wide range of eligible applicants, including universities and research organizations, provided they can conduct rigorous research and meet the partnership requirements described in the opportunity.
Is partnering required?
Every application must include the relevant state entity that owns or is responsible for the education issue, program, or policy being studied. The opportunity also explicitly allows (and practically encourages) partnerships that combine state data access and policy needs with research expertise (for example, collaborations between a state agency and a university or research firm).
What state entity must be included in the application?
The application must include the state entity that actually owns or is responsible for the education issue, program, or policy being studied. This is a central requirement because the work is built around state-level policymaking.
Does the state partner have to be the K-12 State Educational Agency (SEA)?
No. The announcement recognizes that special education policy questions can span multiple sectors, so eligible state partners can include agencies responsible for early intervention, prekindergarten, career and technical education, and postsecondary education.
Can a state postsecondary system serve as the eligible state agency partner?
Yes. A state postsecondary system can serve as the eligible state agency, which is particularly relevant for projects focused on transitions to college, persistence, completion, or workforce outcomes for students with disabilities.
What kinds of projects does this grant support?
The program supports projects that use SLDS data to produce actionable evidence for decision-makers, typically by studying how policies or programs are working over time, for which students, under what conditions, and with what longer-term outcomes.
What topics or outcomes might be studied using SLDS data under this program?
The opportunity highlights that SLDSs can be used to evaluate trajectories and outcomes such as identification patterns, service delivery, inclusion, academic growth, discipline, graduation, postsecondary enrollment, and other milestones relevant to students with disabilities (and those at risk for disabilities).
Does the opportunity support cross-sector analyses?
Yes. Because SLDSs can connect data across years and sometimes across sectors (for example, early childhood to K-12 or K-12 to postsecondary), the opportunity supports work that examines longer-term pathways and transitions across sectors when relevant to the policy questions.
How important is policy relevance in the proposed research?
It is central. Projects should be designed with clear policy relevance and a pathway for findings to inform agency actions, since the intent is to support state and local decisions.
What does the program expect in terms of research rigor?
A central feature of the competition is rigorous research capacity. Applicants need to demonstrate they can design and carry out strong, credible studies using longitudinal data.
What is the maximum award amount listed for this opportunity?
The posted award ceiling is $1,200,000.
How many awards will be made?
The provided information indicates that awards are expected, but it does not specify the number of awards.
What is the application deadline?
The original closing date shown is 2026-10-01.
When was the opportunity record created?
The opportunity record indicates a creation date of 2026-08-06.
What makes this opportunity different from general education research grants?
Based on the provided description, it is specifically focused on using state SLDS infrastructure and linked longitudinal data to generate credible evidence that directly informs state education policymaking in special education, with a required role for the relevant state entity responsible for the policy area being studied.
Who are the intended beneficiaries of better policymaking supported by this grant?
The work is intended to improve decisions and outcomes for students with disabilities as well as students who are at risk for disabilities.
What is the overall goal for states and partners funded under this program?
The overall goal is to turn existing longitudinal education data into credible evidence that can directly shape special education policymaking by strengthening how state agencies and LEAs use linked data to answer key questions, evaluate initiatives, and improve outcomes.
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