Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Transformative Research in Special Education, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.324T

Source-based overview

Through the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program, IES seeks to support research and development of transformative solutions to seemingly intractable problems and challenges in special education. Transformative projects enact bold and innovative thinking, involve interdisciplinary collaboration, are inherently risky, and use high-quality research approaches to create high-reward, scalable solutions with the potential to lead to dramatic improvements for students with or at risk for disabilities. In FY 2027, the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program will focus on Phase 1 grants to research and develop transformative solutions to dramatically improve preservice teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.324T The official record contains the controlling eligibility, budget, attachment and submission requirements for opportunity ED-GRANTS-101526-002.

Eligibility

Eligible applicant types listed by the agency: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification). Applicants must also satisfy every programme-specific condition in the official notice.

Funding and benefits

Award ceiling: USD 3,750,000

Themes and supported activities

Through the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program, IES seeks to support research and development of transformative solutions to seemingly intractable problems and challenges in special education. Transformative projects enact bold and innovative thinking, involve interdisciplinary collaboration, are inherently risky, and use high-quality research approaches to create high-reward, scalable solutions with the potential to lead to dramatic improvements for students with or at risk for disabilities. In FY 2027, the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program will focus on Phase 1 grants to research and develop transformative solutions to dramatically improve preservice teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities. Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.324T

Opportunity number: ED-GRANTS-101526-002

Deadline and timeline

Applications close 2026-12-11: Applications close 2026-12-11: Dec 11, 2026.

Applicants should confirm the exact deadline time, time zone, required documents, portal steps and any institutional approvals on the official call page before submitting.

How to apply

Open the official Grants.gov record, review the full notice and attachments, and use the application package or agency route stated there.

Before applying, check eligibility rules, budgets, attachments, page limits, partner requirements, cost-share conditions and whether the opportunity uses an expression of interest, full proposal, registration or nomination stage.