Department of Education
Institute of Education Sciences (IES): National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER): Transformative Research in Special Education, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.324T
In short: Department of Education gives grants of up to $3.8 million.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Dec 11, 2026 · 56 days left
- Award size
- Up to $3.8M
- Match ?
- 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)
- Needs a match (see how much in the notice)
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 56
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
Through the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program, IES seeks to support research and development of transformative solutions to seemingly intractable problems and challenges in special education. Transformative projects enact bold and innovative thinking, involve interdisciplinary collaboration, are inherently risky, and use high-quality research approaches to create high-reward, scalable solutions with the potential to lead to dramatic improvements for students with or at risk for disabilities.
In FY 2027, the Transformative Research in Special Education Grants program will focus on Phase 1 grants to research and develop transformative solutions to dramatically improve preservice teacher education systems so they can better attract, train, and retain preK-12 general and special education teachers who are prepared to provide high-quality instruction and substantially improve outcomes for students with or at risk for disabilities.
Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.324T
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/eda3b894-0620-4ade-9d77-e74f7098e4c0 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/eebeb801-6927-467d-abba-8c714459becb
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 2 counties since 2016. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | $4.2M spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $3.8M | 2021 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $3.6M | 2020 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $3.3M | 2017 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $3.3M | 2019 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $3.1M | 2020 |
| University of Tennessee | Knoxville, Knox County | $1.8M | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.7M | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.5M | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.4M | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.4M | 2020 |
| Vanderbilt University Medical Center | Nashville, Davidson County | $1.4M | 2016 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse; USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Education
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Education passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 39 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $1.1M | 2025 |
| East Tennessee State University | Johnson City, Washington County | Board of Regents of the University of Nebraska | $985K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Kansas Center for Research Inc | $555K | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | The Leland Stanford Junior University | $374K | 2023 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Rector & Visitors of the University of Virginia | $299K | 2024 |
| Create, Inc. | Brentwood | The Pennsylvania State University | $269K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Kansas Center for Research Inc | $225K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | University of Texas at Austin | $223K spent that year | 2025 |
| Create, Inc. | Brentwood | The Pennsylvania State University | $211K | 2026 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville | University of Kansas Center for Research, Inc | $200K spent that year | 2025 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | University of Texas at Austin | $185K | 2024 |
| Vanderbilt University | Nashville, Davidson County | Vanderbilt University Medical Center | $178K | 2026 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
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
- 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
Research in Special Education
Program number 84.324 (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).