OSERS-OSEP: Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services: Focus Area C Preparing Personnel to Provide Related Services to Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities. CFDA Number 84.325K-3 | ED GRANTS 101515 003

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 101515 003

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 within the broader Personnel Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services program (CFDA 84.325K) and, in this particular competition, focuses on Focus Area C: preparing personnel to provide related services to children with disabilities, including infants and toddlers. In practical terms, the program is aimed at strengthening the pipeline of well-prepared professionals who deliver related services (the kinds of support services that help children with disabilities benefit from early intervention and special education) and ensuring that these professionals are trained to use practices grounded in evidence and established professional experience.

The stated purpose of the program is twofold. First, it is designed to help address State-identified needs for personnel preparation across special education, early intervention, related services, and regular education for work with children with disabilities, including very young children from birth through age two. That emphasis on State-identified needs is important: applicants are generally expected to align what they propose with documented workforce shortages or capacity gaps that States have already recognized. Second, the program is intended to ensure that personnel serving these children have the skills and knowledge needed to be successful, and that their preparation is based on scientifically based research and real-world experience. In other words, the Department is not just funding more training seats; it is signaling that quality, evidence-based preparation and readiness to serve young children with disabilities and their families is the central goal.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education (IHEs) and private nonprofit organizations. The eligibility list provided for this opportunity includes public and State-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status), with an "others" category also shown in the source data. This mix suggests the competition is meant to support a range of entities that can credibly prepare related services personnel, such as universities running professional preparation programs, nonprofit training providers, and similar organizations positioned to build or expand training pathways.

The opportunity is a discretionary grant competition, meaning awards are made competitively and based on how well applications respond to the published priorities and requirements. The funding opportunity number is ED GRANTS 101515 003. The notice lists an award ceiling of $250,000 and an expectation of approximately 8 awards. The posting shows a creation date of October 15, 2015, and an original closing date of December 14, 2015, which indicates the timeline for that particular cycle of the competition.

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov rather than by email or other submission methods. Applicants were instructed to locate the application package by searching for CFDA 84.325 (without the letter suffix), download the package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit it through the Grants.gov system. The synopsis repeatedly stresses that the short description is only a summary and that the authoritative source is the official application notice published in the Federal Register. That official notice is where applicants would find the binding details such as eligibility nuances, submission requirements, any pre-application steps, selection criteria, required project components, program priorities, performance measures, reporting expectations, and contact information for the program office. The synopsis also points readers to free access to the Federal Register and Code of Federal Regulations through the Government Publishing Office site.

Taken together, this competition is essentially about boosting the supply and quality of related services professionals who can serve children with disabilities, including infants and toddlers, by funding projects that train, prepare, or improve preparation systems in ways that align with State workforce needs and rely on evidence-based practices. The government is signaling that successful projects should not only produce trained personnel but should also demonstrate that the training is grounded in research and is likely to translate into effective services for very young children with disabilities and their families.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OSERS-OSEP: Preparation in Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services: Focus Area C Preparing Personnel to Provide Related Services to Children, Including Infants and Toddlers, with Disabilities. CFDA Number 84.325K-3" 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 2015-10-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2015-12-14. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 101515 003

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