Deadline: 14-Oct-2025
The U.S. Department of Education has announced the fiscal year 2025 competition for the Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Expansion Grants, aiming to support large-scale, evidence-based educational innovations that can transform learning outcomes for high-need students.
These grants, established under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, are designed to replicate and take to scale proven, entrepreneurial approaches that drive student achievement and attainment while undergoing rigorous evaluation to ensure their impact.
For 2025, the EIR Expansion competition is centered on promoting evidence-based literacy as its absolute priority, recognizing literacy as the foundation for all learning and a key area of need across schools nationwide. The Department seeks projects that deliver effective literacy instruction aligned with the science of reading, with particular emphasis on strategies that directly benefit high-need student populations. By scaling successful literacy programs, the competition aims to address one of the most urgent academic challenges currently faced by schools.
Applicants may also respond to two competitive preference priorities designed to encourage state and Tribal leadership and expand educational choice. The first, Returning Education to the States, seeks projects that elevate state- or Tribal-led efforts to serve students, families, and educators within their local contexts. The second, Education Choice (High-Impact Tutoring), encourages initiatives offering individualized or small-group tutoring through innovative delivery models, proven to accelerate student progress.
An estimated $253 million is available across both the Mid-phase and Expansion competitions, including funds for high-scoring unfunded applicants from the 2024 competitions. Eligible applicants include local educational agencies (LEAs), state educational agencies (SEAs), the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE), consortia of SEAs or LEAs, nonprofit organizations, and partnerships involving these entities with businesses, educational service agencies, or institutions of higher education (IHEs).
Through these Expansion Grants, the Department of Education aims to help high-impact, evidence-based models reach more students nationwide, driving measurable improvements in literacy and overall educational achievement.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
