August 2026

For the first time since the FY 2025 funding cycle, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) has opened competitions for research and training grants. IES Acting Director Matthew Soldner announced the agency’s FY 2027 grantmaking plans in an August 6  blog post. Soldner also discussed the plans during a presentation to the National Assessment Governing Board that day.

The announcement follows significant disruption to the federal education research enterprise. Several FY 2025 competitions—including the core Education Research Grants program and research training programs—were closed without awards in March 2025, and IES did not hold competitions for new research and training grants in FY 2026. The Trump administration also terminated numerous IES contracts and reduced the institute’s staff by roughly 90 percent.

In April 2025, AERA and the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness filed a lawsuit challenging the unlawful dismantling of IES. The case is ongoing.  

IES plans to release the FY 2027 grant competitions in three rounds. The first five competitions opened on August 6, with applications due October 1:

• Using State Longitudinal Data to Support State Education Policymaking through the National Center for Education Research (NCER) (84.305S) and a largely equivalent program for the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) (84.324S);
• Research Training Programs through both NCER (84.305B) and NCSER (84.324B); and
• Statistical and Research Methodology in Education through NCER (84.305D).

IES is hosting office hours for the first round of competitions throughout August and September. Details for each program are available on the IES website.

IES anticipates releasing a second round of competitions in late September or early October for two programs: From Seedlings to Scale and Transformational Research in Special Education. A third round is expected in December and would include Education Research Grants, Special Education Research Grants, Education Research and Development Centers, and Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice.

In his blog post, Soldner outlined several changes planned for the second and third rounds of competitions, reflecting recommendations included in the Reimagining IES report released in February 2026. The changes include:

• Concentrating grantmaking on selected topics, including reading and STEM across NCER and NCSER competitions, along with two additional topics for each center;
• Maintaining those priorities across multiple competition cycles, tentatively through FY 2029;
• Including research agendas within topic areas when possible; and
• Expanding the role of research networks and network hubs in identifying needs and synthesizing evidence.