OSERS-OSEP: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities: Center on Early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Learning for Young children with Disabilities CFDA Number 84.327G | ED GRANTS 062918 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 062918 001

This grant opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, specifically the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) and the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP). It sits under the broader Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities program (CFDA 84.327), and the specific competition is focused on establishing or supporting a Center on Early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Learning for young children with disabilities. In practical terms, the government is looking to fund one main project (one expected award) that can operate as a national or multi-site center to strengthen early STEM learning opportunities and outcomes for young children with disabilities, using technology, media, materials, and related supports aligned with classroom and early learning settings.

The underlying purpose of the broader program is to improve results for students with disabilities by encouraging the development, demonstration, and use of educational technology. It also emphasizes supporting educational activities that are genuinely useful in classrooms, expanding captioning and video description so that instructional media is accessible for learners with disabilities, and ensuring accessible educational materials are delivered in a timely manner. While the synopsis does not spell out the Center's exact required activities, the title and program purpose together signal the federal intent: to build and spread high-quality, accessible early STEM resources and practices that educators and families can actually use, and to do so in ways that remove common accessibility barriers (for example, inaccessible videos, images, or digital content) that often prevent children with disabilities from fully participating in early STEM exploration.

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement rather than a typical grant. That matters because cooperative agreements generally involve substantial federal involvement during the project, meaning the Department of Education may be more engaged in ongoing guidance, monitoring, coordination, or technical input than it would be under a standard discretionary grant. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding in the education activity area, and it was posted with an application availability date of June 29, 2018 and a deadline to submit applications of July 30, 2018. The listed award ceiling is $1,450,000, and the federal notice indicates the expectation of a single award, suggesting a competitively selected lead organization would run the Center and coordinate work that may include partnerships, dissemination, and implementation support.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of entities that could credibly operate a national center or large-scale initiative. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township, and special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (other than higher education institutions); for-profit organizations that are not small businesses; and other entities as permitted under the notice (with the reminder that the official Federal Register notice governs any additional eligibility conditions). This wide eligibility range is typical for OSEP center competitions because they often require a mix of research capacity, implementation expertise, professional development experience, and dissemination infrastructure that can be found across universities, nonprofits, education agencies, and specialized organizations.

The synopsis repeatedly emphasizes that it is not the authoritative source and that applicants must rely on the official Federal Register application notice for the actual requirements. That official notice would contain the full set of priorities, required project components, selection criteria, performance measures, and submission instructions. It would also spell out any absolute or competitive preference priorities, expectations for evidence and evaluation, required partner engagement (such as coordination with early childhood programs, Part C early intervention, Part B preschool, Head Start, or other early learning systems), and the deliverables the Center must produce. The opportunity also points applicants to the Department's Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published February 12, 2018), which typically cover application formatting, submission procedures, standard assurances, and other government-wide administrative requirements.

In short, this competition (84.327G) is a targeted Department of Education funding opportunity to create or support a Center dedicated to improving early STEM learning for young children with disabilities through accessible technology, media, and instructional materials, with an emphasis on classroom usefulness and accessibility features like captioning and video description. It offers up to $1.45 million under a cooperative agreement, expects one awardee, and invites proposals from a wide array of public, private, nonprofit, tribal, and higher education entities, with the full details and binding requirements located in the official Federal Register notice and the Department's common discretionary grant application instructions.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS-OSEP: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities: Center on Early Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Learning for Young children with Disabilities CFDA Number 84.327G" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.327.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 30, 2018 Applications Available June 29, 2018. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications July 30, 2018.. (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 $1,450,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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