ED — Department of Education

Private schools can receive some ED funding indirectly through programs like Title I (which allows services to eligible private school students) and IDEA. However, most competitive ED grants go to public schools, districts, state education agencies, and institutions of higher education.

EIR is the Department of Education's flagship competitive grant for scaling evidence-based educational interventions. It has three tiers: Early-Phase grants (up to $4M over 5 years) for promising but not yet rigorously evaluated interventions; Mid-Phase grants (up to $12M) for interventions with moderate evidence; and Expansion grants (up to $25M) for scaling proven interventions nationally. Eligible applicants include local education agencies, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education partnering with LEAs.

Institutions of higher education access federal student aid programs (Pell Grants, SEOG, Work-Study, and Direct Loans) through the Department of Education's Federal Student Aid office. Participation requires institutional eligibility determination, Program Participation Agreement (PPA) approval, and annual reporting through IPEDS. Competitive institutional grants — like TRIO Student Support Services, GEAR UP, and McNair Scholars — are applied for separately through Grants.gov. Eligibility for most institutional grants requires a current PPA and proof of nonprofit or public status.