Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 051115 002
Apply for ED GRANTS 051115 002
- The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) First in The World (FITW) Program VALIDATION Grants CFDA Number 84.116X" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.116 Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 11, 2015 and posted on May 11, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 30, 2015 Applications Available May 11, 2015. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications June 30, 2015.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $40,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $10,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Special district governments County governments Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Private institutions of higher education State governments Independent school districts Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education City or township governments.
- 1. Eligible Applicants Institutions of higher education, combinations of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies. To qualify as an eligible MSI under the FITW program, an institution of higher education must meet one of two criteria. The first criterion includes Current eligibility approval as defined by the Departments FY 2015 eligibility process for Title III and/or Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended an open grant under one of the Departments Title III, Parts A and F and/or Title V programs or a designation as a Historically Black College of University or a Tribally Controlled College. The second criterion includes Specific enrollment percentages for minority students served and, if applicable, needy student and educational and general expenditure criteria for determining income eligibility. More information on MSI eligibility is in the application package under the section entitled Eligibility. The Department will screen the applications to verify MSI eligibility based on these criteria and, if applicable, will use the most recent Integrated Postsecondary Educational Data Systems data. In the event an application does not qualify for MSI eligibility, it will still be reviewed.
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Opportunity Summary:
The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) First in the World (FITW) Program Validation Grants (CFDA 84.116X) is a discretionary grant competition aimed at improving student persistence and completion in postsecondary education, especially for students who face well documented barriers to staying enrolled and finishing a credential. The program is built around a simple idea: promising strategies should not just be implemented, they should be tested in rigorous ways and then expanded when the evidence shows they work. In this particular FY 2015 notice, the Department is only inviting applications for Validation grants (not Development grants), which means applicants need to bring an intervention that already has a meaningful, credible evidence base and is ready to be replicated at larger scale.
The core purpose of the FITW program is to support the development, replication, and dissemination of innovative solutions that address persistent, widespread challenges in higher education outcomes. The notice highlights the kinds of students the program is intended to benefit, including (but not limited to) adult learners, working students, part time students, students from low income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and first generation students. These groups are frequently overrepresented among those who stop out, take longer to complete, or never complete, and FITW is designed to help institutions adopt and prove out strategies that measurably change those trajectories. The emphasis is not only on doing something new or different, but on generating credible evidence about what works and under what conditions.
Validation grants are specifically intended to take projects supported by moderate evidence of effectiveness and expand them into a scaled, multi site implementation. In practice, that means the proposed model should already have some track record indicating it improves relevant outcomes, and the grant supports replication across multiple partner entities. The notice makes clear that "scaled multi site" includes multiple institutions of higher education and can include multiple institutions within a state system. A key expectation is that the project will not be evaluated only once in one place; instead, all Validation grantees must evaluate effectiveness at each partner entity, which reinforces the program's focus on evidence that is portable and not limited to a single campus context.
A major requirement embedded in the competition is evaluation quality. The Department indicates that the evaluation design will be assessed based on the extent to which it could meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Evidence Standards without reservations. In plain terms, applicants are expected to propose rigorous impact evaluations that can credibly attribute observed improvements in outcomes (like persistence, credit accumulation, or completion) to the intervention rather than to unrelated factors. While the notice text here does not list the full technical evaluation requirements, the reference to WWC standards signals a strong preference for designs such as well implemented randomized controlled trials or high quality quasi experimental designs with strong comparison groups and low risk of bias.
For FY 2015, the Department anticipated making about five awards under this Validation competition, with an estimated total funding amount of $40,000,000 and an award ceiling of $10,000,000 per grant. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching funds, which can lower the barrier to participation for institutions and nonprofit partners that may not have discretionary resources to contribute. The funding instrument is a grant under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) umbrella (CFDA 84.116), and the overall category is Education.
Eligibility is broad and includes institutions of higher education, combinations or consortia of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies. The listing also includes public entities such as state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and independent school districts, as well as nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (with the explicit note that eligibility details should be confirmed in the official Federal Register notice). The notice also discusses Minority Serving Institution (MSI) eligibility and how it is determined for this program, referencing two pathways: (1) existing eligibility approvals and designations connected to Title III and Title V programs (including HBCUs and Tribally Controlled Colleges), or (2) meeting specified enrollment thresholds for minority students served and, where applicable, additional criteria related to needy students and institutional expenditures. The Department indicates it will screen applications to verify MSI status using the criteria and, if needed, the most recent IPEDS data, but it also notes that applications that do not qualify as MSI applications will still be reviewed, meaning MSI status is not a gatekeeping requirement for consideration in the competition.
The timeline for the FY 2015 competition is straightforward. Applications were made available on May 11, 2015, and the deadline for transmittal of applications was June 30, 2015, with an archive date of July 30, 2015. The funding opportunity number is ED-GRANTS-051115-002. Because this synopsis is not the official controlling document, applicants were directed to the Federal Register notice for the authoritative requirements, including any pre-application steps, submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, and program contact details.
For applicant support and program questions, the notice provides multiple contacts. Technical help accessing the full announcement electronically is directed to the ED Grants.gov system administrator contact (Julius Cotton) via phone and the EducationGrantInquiries@ed.gov email. Programmatic questions are directed to the Program Manager, Frank Frankfort, at the Department of Education in Washington, DC, with a dedicated program email address (OPEFITWValidation@ed.gov). The notice repeatedly emphasizes that the Federal Register publication is the official source and that prospective applicants should rely on it for definitive guidance on eligibility, evidence definitions (including what counts as "moderate evidence"), evaluation expectations, and other compliance requirements.
First in the World (FITW) Program Validation Grants (CFDA 84.116X) - FAQs (FY 2015)
What is this grant opportunity?
This opportunity is the U.S. Department of Education Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) First in the World (FITW) Program Validation Grants competition (CFDA 84.116X), a discretionary grant program focused on improving student persistence and completion in postsecondary education through evidence-based strategies that can be rigorously evaluated and expanded.
What is the main goal of the FITW program?
The core goal is to support the development, replication, and dissemination of innovative solutions to persistent, widespread higher education challenges, with a strong emphasis on generating credible evidence about what works, for whom, and under what conditions.
What types of student outcomes is FITW trying to improve?
The program is aimed at improving postsecondary persistence and completion. The notice references outcomes such as staying enrolled, accumulating credits, and completing a credential.
Which students is this program especially intended to benefit?
The notice highlights students who face well documented barriers to persistence and completion, including (but not limited to) adult learners, working students, part-time students, students from low-income backgrounds, students of color, students with disabilities, and first-generation students.
Are Development grants available under this FY 2015 notice?
No. In this particular FY 2015 notice, the Department is only inviting applications for Validation grants, not Development grants.
What is a Validation grant in the FITW program?
Validation grants are intended to take projects supported by moderate evidence of effectiveness and expand them into a scaled, multi-site implementation. The intervention should already have a meaningful, credible evidence base and be ready to be replicated at larger scale.
What does "scaled multi-site implementation" mean in this notice?
The notice explains that "scaled multi-site" includes multiple institutions of higher education and may include multiple institutions within a state system. The intent is replication across multiple partner entities, not a single-campus implementation.
Does the project have to be evaluated at every partner site?
Yes. The notice states that all Validation grantees must evaluate effectiveness at each partner entity, reinforcing that evidence should be portable across different campus contexts.
How rigorous does the evaluation need to be?
The evaluation design is assessed based on the extent to which it could meet What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Evidence Standards without reservations. This signals an expectation for rigorous impact evaluation designs that can credibly attribute outcome changes to the intervention rather than outside factors.
Does the notice specify which evaluation designs are preferred?
While the provided text does not list full technical requirements, the WWC reference signals a strong preference for designs such as well implemented randomized controlled trials or high-quality quasi-experimental designs with strong comparison groups and low risk of bias.
How much funding is available in total for FY 2015 Validation grants?
The Department anticipated a total of about $40,000,000 in funding under this Validation competition.
How many awards did the Department expect to make?
The Department anticipated making about five awards under this FY 2015 Validation competition.
What is the maximum award amount per grant?
The award ceiling is $10,000,000 per grant.
Is cost sharing or matching required?
No. The opportunity does not require cost sharing or matching funds.
What type of funding instrument is this?
The funding instrument is a grant, under the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) umbrella (CFDA 84.116). The overall category is Education.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is described as broad and includes institutions of higher education, combinations or consortia of such institutions, and other public and private nonprofit institutions and agencies. The listing also includes various public entities (such as state, county, city or township, special district governments, and independent school districts) and nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, with the note that applicants should confirm eligibility details in the official Federal Register notice.
Do applicants have to be a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) to apply?
No. The notice indicates that applications that do not qualify as MSI applications will still be reviewed. MSI status is not presented as a gatekeeping requirement for consideration.
How is MSI eligibility determined for this program?
The notice references two pathways: (1) existing eligibility approvals and designations connected to Title III and Title V programs (including HBCUs and Tribally Controlled Colleges), or (2) meeting specified enrollment thresholds for minority students served and, where applicable, additional criteria related to needy students and institutional expenditures.
Will the Department verify MSI status?
Yes. The Department indicates it will screen applications to verify MSI status using the criteria and, if needed, the most recent IPEDS data.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is ED-GRANTS-051115-002.
When were applications available for this FY 2015 competition?
Applications were made available on May 11, 2015.
What was the deadline to submit an application?
The deadline for transmittal of applications was June 30, 2015.
What is the archive date listed for this opportunity?
The archive date is July 30, 2015.
Where should applicants look for the official, controlling requirements?
The synopsis emphasizes that it is not the official controlling document and directs applicants to the Federal Register notice for authoritative requirements, including eligibility, evidence definitions (such as what counts as "moderate evidence"), evaluation expectations, submission instructions, priorities, performance measures, and compliance requirements.
Who should be contacted for technical help accessing the announcement electronically?
Technical help is directed to the ED Grants.gov system administrator contact, Julius Cotton, and the email address EducationGrantInquiries@ed.gov.
Who should be contacted for programmatic questions about the Validation grants?
Programmatic questions are directed to the Program Manager, Frank Frankfort, with the program email address OPEFITWValidation@ed.gov.
What is the basic expectation behind the FITW approach?
The program is built around the idea that promising strategies should not only be implemented, but tested in rigorous ways and expanded when evidence shows they work, with an emphasis on producing credible evidence that can inform broader adoption.
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