Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) Teaching American History Grant Program CFDA Number 84.215X | Apply Online

Teaching American History (TAH) Grant Program (CFDA 84.215X) FAQs

1) What is the Teaching American History (TAH) Grant Program?

The Teaching American History (TAH) Grant Program is a discretionary grant competition run by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII). It is intended to strengthen the teaching of traditional American history in K-12 schools by improving teachers' knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of American history as a distinct subject within the core curriculum.

2) What is the main goal of the program?

The central aim is to raise student achievement by improving teacher content knowledge and classroom practice in American history. The program emphasizes professional development that is cohesive and content-rich, rather than one-off workshops.

3) What kinds of activities does the program want to fund?

Funded projects are expected to develop and deliver innovative professional development models in traditional American history. Applicants are expected to propose a clear approach for improving teacher knowledge and instruction, carry out the model in practice, document what was done, and evaluate outcomes so lessons learned can be captured.

4) Is the program focused on single workshops or longer-term professional development?

The program is designed to support more cohesive, content-rich professional development models, rather than stand-alone or one-time workshops.

5) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants are local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that qualify as LEAs under state law and regulations.

6) Are partnerships required?

Yes. Applicants must work in partnership with at least one organization that brings history or humanities expertise to the project.

7) What types of organizations can serve as eligible partners?

Eligible partner types include institutions of higher education, nonprofit history or humanities organizations, libraries, and museums.

8) Can multiple school districts apply together?

Yes. Multiple LEAs may apply as a consortium using the joint application procedures described in federal regulations (34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129).

9) Why does the program emphasize partnerships?

The program is designed around the idea that school systems provide direct access to teachers and classrooms, while expert partners contribute scholarly content, primary sources, and interpretive expertise to strengthen the rigor and credibility of professional development.

10) What does the program expect regarding evaluation and documentation?

Projects are expected to be documented and evaluated. In practical terms, applicants should describe how they will measure outcomes and capture lessons learned in order to study effectiveness.

11) Does the program expect results or materials to be shared beyond the project?

Yes. The description emphasizes dissemination, meaning the Department values projects that produce materials, approaches, or evidence that can be shared so other districts and partners can learn from what works.

12) Where can applicants find the official requirements and review details?

The synopsis repeatedly directs applicants to the official Federal Register notice for complete details on eligibility language, application requirements, selection criteria, priorities, and performance measures. The Federal Register notice is the controlling document.

13) How many awards were anticipated for FY 2011?

For FY 2011, the opportunity anticipated about 75 awards.

14) What was the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling was $2,000,000.

15) Was cost sharing or matching required?

No. The opportunity did not require cost sharing or matching.

16) When was the opportunity posted and when were applications available?

The opportunity was posted on February 2, 2011, and applications were available the same day.

17) Was there a notice of intent to apply? Was it required?

The Department strongly encouraged, but did not require, a brief email notice of intent to apply by March 4, 2011. Not sending this email would not disqualify an applicant.

18) What had to be included in the notice of intent email?

The notice of intent was meant only to help the Department plan the review process. Applicants were not asked to describe their project at that stage.

19) Where was the notice of intent email sent?

The email notice of intent to apply was to be sent to Mia Howerton at teachingamericanhistory@ed.gov.

20) Were there any pre-application meetings for prospective applicants?

Yes. The Department scheduled two in-person pre-application meetings to help prospective applicants understand the competition and submission process and to clarify questions ahead of the deadline.

21) When and where were the pre-application meetings held?

The two meetings were held on March 11, 2011 at the LBJ Auditorium at the U.S. Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC. One session ran from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and the other from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

22) How could applicants get registration details or updates for the pre-application meetings?

The posting directed interested parties to the program website for registration details and updates.

23) Was the meeting location accessible by public transportation?

Yes. The posting noted the building is accessible by Metro via LEnfant Plaza.

24) How were applications required to be submitted?

Applications had to be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by the deadline. Applicants were instructed to download the application package from the Grants.gov Apply site, complete it offline, and upload it for submission.

25) Could applications be emailed to the Department of Education?

No. The notice explicitly stated that applications cannot be emailed to the Department.

26) What was the application deadline for electronic submission?

Applications had to be submitted through Grants.gov by April 4, 2011.

27) How do applicants find the correct application package on Grants.gov?

Applicants were instructed to search Grants.gov by CFDA number without the letter suffix. In other words, search for 84.215 rather than 84.215X to locate the correct downloadable package.

28) Who should applicants contact for Grants.gov or technical access issues?

For help accessing the announcement or dealing with Grants.gov issues, the listing provided Julius Cotton (ED Grants.gov FIND Systems Admin) at 202-245-6140 and julius.cotton@ed.gov.

29) Who should applicants contact for program-related questions?

For program-related questions, the listing named program managers Mia Howerton, Margarita Melendez, and Adam Bookman at the U.S. Department of Education, with a main telephone number of (202) 205-0147.

30) If there is a conflict between a summary and the official rules, which one controls?

The opportunity directs applicants to rely on the official Federal Register notice for full details, indicating it is the controlling document for eligibility, requirements, priorities, selection criteria, and performance measures.