Office of Innovation and Improvement

The Department of Education Office of Innovation and Improvement is a sub-office of the Cabinet-level education department that funds competitive grants and research initiatives focused on improving educational outcomes, innovation in teaching and learning, and systemic reform in K–12 and higher education.

The Office transacts primarily through grants rather than contracts. It has awarded 463 contracts totaling $449.9 million in combined potential value (with $317.1 million obligated) since 1987, but contract activity has declined sharply—dropping from 13 awards in 2014 to 4 in 2018, with no recorded contract awards since December 2018. The 335 distinct prime contractors awarded across the portfolio indicates highly fragmented competitive concentration. Contract awards are predominantly open competition (91%), with small-business set-asides accounting for 7% of awards and 8(a) designations (sole source and competitive combined) representing 3%.

Grant activity is the Office's primary funding vehicle. It has obligated $9.36 billion in federal grant dollars across 2,122 awards since 2001, with a combined federal and non-federal total of $16.03 billion. Grant activity was robust through 2019 (108 awards that year) but dropped precipitously thereafter—20 awards in 2020, 1 in 2021, 3 in 2022, and 2 in 2023, with the most recent grant award recorded in October 2023. All grants are structured as Project Grants. Among 1,253 distinct grant recipients over the portfolio lifetime, recent activity (last five years) shows minimal concentration across a highly fragmented recipient base. Oregon Research Institute leads by reported federal dollars at $2.8 million (1 award), followed by Trustees of Boston College at $1.4 million (1 award); Partners for Rural Impact, Inc. holds the highest award count at 2 awards totaling $378 thousand in federal obligated dollars.

No recent contract or grant opportunities are present in the source. The Office has recorded no contract awards since December 2018 and no grant awards since October 2023. Business development activity should focus on monitoring for resumed opportunity announcements given the extended quiet period on both sides of the portfolio.