Department of Education
Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center on Education Research (NCER): From Seedlings to Scale, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.305J
In short: Department of Education gives grants of up to $500,000.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Dec 11, 2026 · 56 days left
- Award size
- Up to $500K
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. Registration is free but can take weeks, so start now, not when the deadline is close. Get-ready checklist
How this fits you
- Available in Tennessee (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 59
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
Through the From Seedlings to Scale (S2S) Grants program, IES will invest in innovative ideas within an identified focus area through three phases of increasing funding and duration to support ideas as they grow from seedlings to scalable solutions. Projects will incorporate high-quality research, robust solution development, and attention to sustainability and scaling throughout all phases.
For the FY 2027 S2S program, IES invites applications for Phase One projects under the Coordinating Systems to Translate Evidence into Policy and Practice (C-STEP) focus area. C-STEP seeks to develop and rigorously test innovative AI- and technology-enabled solutions that help education systems intentionally integrate evidence-based products, processes, and policies to improve outcomes for prekindergarten through grade 12 students. Proposed solutions should reflect a deep understanding of the systems in which they operate and enable education leaders to align resources, anticipate impacts, and overcome implementation barriers, thereby strengthening the connection between research, policy, and practice.
Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.305J
Who can apply, from the official notice
Institutions that have the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, institutions of higher education and non-profit, for-profit, public, or private organizations and entities.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/ee52200b-bc1d-4e98-be9c-60992d1d8836 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/0f3dd581-23ee-453e-90b8-ac2d61fe10f9
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct16
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Nov20
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Dec4
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Dec9
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Dec11
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Who in Tennessee has won this program
17 awards to Tennessee groups in 4 counties since 2018. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $3.7M | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $3.6M | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $2.7M spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | $2.6M spent that year | 2025 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $2M | 2022 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.7M | 2021 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.7M | 2022 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.7M | 2024 |
| University of Memphis | Memphis, Shelby County | $1.6M | 2020 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.5M | 2021 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.4M | 2024 |
| Middle Tennessee State University | Rutherford County | $1.4M | 2019 |
Source: USAspending.gov; Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through a state agency or another organization
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. 42 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $755K | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. | $541K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Georgia Research Foundation, Inc. | $525K | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $448K | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | University of Texas at Austin | $256K spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | University of Georgia | $182K spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | US Department of Education | $157K spent that year | 2023 |
| Young Men's Christian Association of Middle Tennessee | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $154K | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | $142K | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $135K | 2023 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Georgia State University | $101K spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | American Institute for Research | $98K spent that year | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
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More from Department of Education
- Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE): Special Projects; Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.116J · Next round: about Nov 12 – Dec 3, 2026 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Transformative Research in Special Education, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.324T · Due Dec 11, 2026 · 56 days left
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP): State Personnel Development Grants (SPDG) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.323A · Next round: about Apr 15 – Jun 16, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
- Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS): Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP): Accessible Education Video Projects; Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.327C · Next round: about Apr 27 – Jun 26, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
- OSERS-OSEP: Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.325J · Next round: about May 13 – Jul 13, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
- OSERS-OSEP: National Center on Academic Interventions Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.326Q · Next round: about Jun 15 – Aug 10, 2027 Estimate, not confirmed by the funder
About the federal program
Education Research, Development and Dissemination
Program number 84.305 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences · Project grant
How applications are judged
The criteria for selecting applications are contained in the Request for Applications that announces the competition. Each request for Applications is posted on the Funding Opportunities home page of the Institute web site: http://ies.ed.gov/funding/.
Match
None required (federal program listing).