Open Textbook Pilot Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- ED-GRANT-26-035
- Agency
-
Department of Labor
- Applications due
- Award size
- $1,500,000 to $2,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Education
- Eligible applicants
-
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- Robin Dabney otp@ed.gov (202) 453-7908
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Labor, administering on behalf of the Department of Education, is soliciting applications to support the Open Textbook Pilot Program, with an application deadline of June 23, 2026. The program will award approximately $7 million in discretionary grants across an estimated four awards of $1.5 million to $2 million each over 48-month project periods. No cost-sharing requirement applies.
Eligible applicants include public and private higher education institutions, state higher education agencies, and 501(c)(3) nonprofits, individually or in combination. However, three absolute priorities are mandatory: collaboration involving at least three institutions of higher education with relevant employers and professional associations; addressing marketplace gaps through comprehensive planning for resource assessment, scalability, protocols, dissemination, and professional development; and promoting student success through tracking usage, monitoring learning outcomes, and investigating evidence-based practices.
Projects must create new open textbooks and expand use of open textbooks and course materials in degree-granting programs, with emphasis on high-enrollment courses and programs that prepare individuals for in-demand fields. All digital content must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 Level AA and use free, attributed public licensing conforming to industry-recognized open standards.
Selection criteria are scored on a maximum 100 points, evaluating need, project design quality, resource adequacy, management plan, and evaluation quality. Two competitive preference priorities—integrating appropriate and ethical artificial intelligence tools (up to 10 points) and state higher education agency applicant status (0 or 10 points)—may add up to 10 additional points.
The program operates under CFDA 84.116 (Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education). The intergovernmental review deadline is August 24, 2026.
Synopsis
The Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor (Labor) is soliciting applications in support of the administration of the Open Textbook Pilot Program (OTP) on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Secretary of Education (Secretary). The purpose of the OTP program is to support projects at eligible institutions of higher education (IHEs) or State higher education agencies that create new open textbooks and expand the use of open textbooks and course materials in courses that are part of a degree-granting program, particularly those with high enrollments. This pilot program emphasizes the development of projects that demonstrate the greatest potential to achieve the highest level of savings for students through sustainable, expanded use of open textbooks in high-enrollment courses or in programs that prepare individuals for in-demand fields.
Files
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Find teaming partners
- Similar grant opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity