U.S. Department of Education Announces Grant Competition to Empower States Through a Reimagined Comprehensive Centers Program

Today, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 competition for the Comprehensive Centers Program, reaffirming the Trump Administration's commitment to return education to the states by positioning educational authority closer to the communities, educators, and students they serve.

Comprehensive Centers were created to help State and Local Educational Agencies navigate federal education law and leverage evidence-based practices to improve student outcomes. This year's grant competition will better align centers with that mission and ensure Comprehensive Centers are aligned with state and local priorities and reduce the burden on state leadership.

This competition solicits proposals to operate a National Center, Regional Centers, Content Centers, including field-initiated centers that allow applicants to propose priorities based on states' needs and a National Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities. Together, these centers will form a network to provide capacity-building support educational agencies and schools that improve instruction, expand opportunity, and close achievement gaps for all students, especially those with the greatest need.

"As we work to return education to the states, this program provides critical capacity-building and content support for state and local educational agencies," said Assistant Secretary for the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education Kirsten Baesler. "By aligning the Comprehensive Centers' work with state-driven priorities, we are empowering those closest to students to design solutions that meet their communities' needs and deliver meaningful, measurable improvements for every learner."

In this model, the National Center will serve as a centralized hub to help state and local school systems navigate federal technical assistance services and resources. States will also be able to more readily access high-quality services and select support from a national cadre of subject-matter experts vetted by the National Center. Regional Comprehensive Centers will work closely with the Regional Educational Laboratories (RELs) serving their states through joint boards and planning processes, promoting greater coordination and alignment of their work to state-defined learning agendas and priorities. Field-Initiated Content Centers will allow applicants to identify and propose the education topics of significant national or regional need for these centers. Learn more about the Comprehensive Centers Program here.

For more information on this grant competition, please visit the grant notice on grants.gov here, and the grant notice for the National Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities here.