Greetings Colleagues, 

In today’s Federal Register, there was a preview of RFPs to be released (most likely on Monday) for (1) Education Innovation and Research Program—Expansion-phase Grants and (2) Education Innovation and Research (EIR) Program—Mid-phase Grants. 

 

For these grants, the IHE cannot apply independently. Eligible Applicants are listed as follows: (a) An LEA; (b) An SEA; (c) The Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); (d) A consortium of SEAs or LEAs; (e) A nonprofit organization; and (f) An LEA, an SEA, the BIE, or a consortium described in clause (d), in partnership with--(1) A nonprofit organization; (2) A business; (3) An educational service agency; or (4) An IHE. 

 

Education Innovation and Research Program--Expansion-phase Grants Deadline 30 days from release of Notice Inviting Applications 

Public Inspection Notice/DRAFT https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-11938.pdf 

 

The EIR program, established under section 4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended (ESEA), provides funding to create, develop, implement, replicate, or take to scale entrepreneurial, evidence-based, field-initiated innovations to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students; and rigorously evaluate such innovations. The EIR program is designed to generate and validate solutions to persistent education challenges and to support the  expansion of those solutions to serve substantially larger numbers of students. 

The central design element of the EIR program is its multi-tier structure that links the amount of funding an applicant may receive to the quality of the evidence supporting the efficacy of the proposed project, with the expectation that projects that build this evidence will advance through EIR’s grant tiers: “Early-phase,” “Midphase,” and “Expansion.” 

The Department awards three types of grants under this program: “Early-phase” grants, “Mid-phase” grants, and “Expansion” grants. These grants differ in terms of the level of prior evidence of effectiveness required for consideration for funding, the expectations regarding the kind of evidence and information funded projects should produce, the level of scale funded projects should reach, and, consequently, the amount of funding available to support each type of project. 

Expansion grants are supported by strong evidence (as defined in this notice) for at least one population and setting, and grantees are encouraged to implement at the national level (as defined in this notice). The Department expects that Expansion grants will provide funding for implementation and a rigorous evaluation of a program that has been found to produce sizable, significant impacts under a Mid-phase grant or other effort meeting similar  criteria, for the purposes of: (a) determining whether such impacts can be successfully reproduced and sustained over time; and (b) identifying the conditions in which the program is most effective.  

 

Education Innovation and Research Program—Mid-phase Grants Deadline 30 days from release of Notice Inviting Applications 

Public Inspection Notice/DRAFT https://public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2021-11940.pdf 

Mid-phase grants are supported by moderate evidence (as defined in this notice). The Department expects that Mid-phase grants will be used to fund implementation and a rigorous evaluation of a program that has been successfully implemented under an Early-phase grant or other effort meeting similar criteria, for the purpose of measuring the program’s impact and cost-effectiveness, if possible using existing administrative data. 

While this notice is for the Mid-phase tier only, the premise of the EIR program is that new and innovative programs and practices can help to solve the persistent problems in education that prevent students, particularly high-need students, from succeeding. These innovations need to be evaluated, and, if sufficient evidence of effectiveness can be demonstrated, the intent is for these innovations to be replicated and tested in new populations and settings. EIR is not intended to provide support for practices that are already commonly implemented by educators, unless significant adaptations of such practices warrant testing to determine if they can accelerate achievement, or greatly increase the efficiency and likelihood that they can be widely implemented in a variety of new populations and settings effectively. 

 

I will resend the notices once they are officially released. 

 

 

JPMorgan Chase & Co. 2021 AdvancingCities Challenge 

https://www.jpmorganchase.com/content/dam/jpmc/jpmorgan-chase-and-co/documents/advancingcities-challenge-rep.pdf#page=21&zoom=100,273,96 

 Through this AdvancingCities Challenge 2021 RFP, JPMC is soliciting proposals for initiatives designed for and by Black and/or Latina women who experience the intersections of the racial and gender wealth gaps. While these disparities are felt acutely by Black and Latina women across the income spectrum, JPMC is seeking solutions for low- and moderate- income Black and/or Latina women, where longstanding gaps in pay and wealth coupled with impacts from COVID-19 have exacerbated their overall economic health.  JPMC will prioritize solutions that focus on Black and/or Latina women in their prime working and wealth building years (ages 16 and older), from when they pursue higher education or enter the workforce as young adults (16-24), to when they move through 3 their careers, increase earnings, and save for retirement as adults (25+). JPMC also knows that people face intersectional realities, and Black and Latina women who are also immigrants, involved with the criminal justice system, LGBTQIA+ or gender expansive people, and/or women with disabilities may face compounded negative trends.  

JPMC will prioritize solutions designed, led, and implemented by Black and/or Latina women, centering their proximate expertise and lived experience in a powerful vision for the future.  

The 2021 AdvancingCities Challenge builds on JPMC’s global grantmaking in scores of communities and the firm’s longstanding commitment to advancing opportunity and racial equity, including its $30 billion commitment over five years to provide economic opportunity to underserved communities, especially the Black and Latinx communities.  

The RFP describes the unique goals and criteria for this year’s competition. Groups of organizations (referenced as collaboratives) may apply, and successful applications are eligible for a three-year grant of up to $5 million from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation (JPMC Foundation). Selected proposals will also be eligible for a wide array of JPMC resources—including data support, employee expertise, and global insights, among others. Winners will be announced in November or December 2021.  

All proposals must be submitted via Cybergrants by Monday, June 28, 2021, 11:59PM Eastern Time 

 

Thank you. 

 

--Iwan