Comprehensive Centers
Active
- Assistance listing
- 84.283
- Agency
-
Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
Department of Education
- Grant awards
- 101 $985,884,804 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 91-1000-0-1-501
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education funds training, professional development, and technical assistance delivered to state and local education agencies and schools through the Comprehensive Centers program (CFDA 84.283), with two grant opportunities currently open and due June 30, 2026.
The program supports a network of regional and content-focused centers that provide capacity-building services aimed at improving educational opportunities, closing achievement gaps, and enhancing instructional quality for all students, with particular emphasis on low-income students and students attending schools implementing comprehensive support and improvement activities. Recent awards have funded regional comprehensive centers serving multi-state regions (Region 1 Northeast, Region 4 Appalachia, Region 7 Midwest, Region 9 Southwest), content centers focused on English learners and multilingualism and fiscal equity, a national comprehensive center on improving literacy, and a center on educator workforce development. Work is performed regionally and nationally with administrative oversight at the Department of Education.
Grant activity has been strong in recent years: 19 awards in 2024 and 2 awards as of December 2025, following a 20-award cohort in 2019. The program has obligated $985.9 million in federal dollars across 101 awards since 2003. Awards are predominantly Project Grants (85 percent) with a smaller share of Cooperative Agreements (15 percent). The Department of Education Office of Elementary and Secondary Education funds 100 awards; a single award was funded by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.
Recent award magnitudes range from approximately $2.3 million to $16.4 million. Representative recent awards include the National Comprehensive Center Application ($16.4 million, October 2024), Region 9 Southwest Center ($10.1 million, October 2024), Region 7 Midwest Center ($9.2 million, October 2024), and the Fiscal Equity Content Center ($2.3 million, October 2024). Grants are made for up to five years subject to appropriations and grantee performance.
Two solicitations are open through June 30, 2026: one for a National Comprehensive Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities (ALN 84.283D, posted May 11, 2026) and one for regional and content centers under ALN 84.283B (posted May 8, 2026). Both are structured as Cooperative Agreements. Eligible applicants include research organizations, institutions of higher education, agencies, and partnerships with demonstrated capacity to deliver the required services.
Objective and description
- Objective
This program supports no fewer than 20 comprehensive centers that provide training, professional development, and technical assistance to State educational agencies, local educational agencies, regional educational agencies, and schools to improve ed
- Description
The purpose of the Comprehensive Centers program is to provide capacity-building services to state educational agencies, regional educational agencies, local educational agencies, and schools that improve educational opportunities and student outcomes, close achievement gaps, and improve the quality of instruction for all students, particularly for groups of students with the greatest need.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Research organizations, institutions, agencies, institutions of higher education (IHEs), or partnerships among such entities, or individuals with the demonstrated ability or capacity to carry out the activities required in the notice inviting applications, including regional entities that carried out activities under the Educational Research, Development, Dissemination, and Improvement Act of 1994 (as such Act existed on the day before November 5, 2002) and title XIII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) (as such title existed on the day before January 8, 2002).
- Beneficiary eligibility
Agencies supporting or providing elementary and secondary education will benefit, including State and local educational agencies, regional educational agencies, the Bureau of Indian Education, Indian tribes, community-based organizations, and other recipients of funds under the ESEA.
- Uses of assistance
The FY 2024 competition resulted in the Department making grant awards to 20 centers, including 4 content centers, 14 regional centers and 1 national center. In addition, the Department supports one center funded in FY 2016 in response to the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) that focuses on students at risk of not attaining full literacy skills due to a disability; this Center was re-competed in FY 2021. Grantees are required to develop 5-year plans for carrying out authorized activities that address State and regional needs. Information on allowable activities can be found in the statute, which is available at https://www.ed.gov/grants-and-programs/grants-birth-grade-12/comprehensive-centers-program#Legislation-and-Regulations.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Grants may be awarded for up to five years subject to the availability of funds and performance by the grantee.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
The selection criteria are contained in the program application package and also are included in the notice inviting applications published in the Federal Register. Contact the program office for more information.
- Award procedure
After completion of competitive peer review of applications, the Department makes the final decision on the approval and funding of applications. If an applicant is successful, the Department of Education will notify the applicant's U.S. Representative and U.S. Senators and will send the successful applicant a Grant Award Notification (GAN). The Department of Education may also notify successful applicants informally.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Approximately 120 to 180 days.
- Renewals
Awards are made for up to five years, subject to the availability of appropriations and grantee performance.
Grant opportunities
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 101 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wested | $186,095,544 | 19% |
| 2 | American Institutes For Research In The Behavioral Sciences | $111,468,999 | 11% |
| 3 | Westat, Inc. | $98,240,984 | 10% |
| 4 | Southwest Educational Development Corporation | $91,650,482 | 9% |
| 5 | RMC Research Corp | $83,942,701 | 9% |
| 6 | Learning Point Associates | $46,548,280 | 5% |
| 7 | Educational Testing Service | $42,990,083 | 4% |
| 8 | University Of Oklahoma | $33,752,212 | 3% |
| 9 | ICF Incorporated, L.L.C. | $33,653,492 | 3% |
| 10 | Education Northwest | $31,317,202 | 3% |
10 of 30 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2025 | $49,986,081 |
| FY2024 | $49,708,809 |
| FY2023 | $54,689,771 |
| FY2022 | $53,973,467 |
| FY2021 | $51,576,197 |
| FY2020 | $51,034,382 |
| FY2019 | $52,439,839 |
| FY2018 | $52,750,000 |
| FY2017 | $50,521,372 |
| FY2016 | $51,965,399 |
| FY2015 | $49,436,556 |
| FY2014 | $49,642,244 |
| FY2013 | $49,192,599 |
| FY2011 | $53,447,820 |
| FY2010 | $59,313,000 |
| FY2009 | $175,278,303 |
| FY2006 | $1,243,322 |
| FY2005 | $24,650,857 |
| FY2004 | $5,034,787 |
Show all 19
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 84.283?
Assistance Listing 84.283 is Comprehensive Centers, a federal grant program run by Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department of Education).
What is the CFDA number for Comprehensive Centers?
Its CFDA number is 84.283: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 84.283 awarded?
101 grant awards under 84.283 have obligated $985,884,804 in federal funds to 30 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 84.283?
The recipients obligated the most under Comprehensive Centers are Wested ($186,095,544), American Institutes For Research In The Behavioral Sciences ($111,468,999) and Westat, Inc. ($98,240,984).
How much did 84.283 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 84.283 obligated $49,986,081 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 84.283?
No opportunity listed under 84.283 is open now. The latest, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Comprehensive Centers Program: National Comprehensive Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities; ALN 84.283D, was posted on May 11, 2026.
On GovTribe
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