Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities
Active
- Assistance listing
- 84.325
- Agency
-
Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services
Department of Education
- Grant awards
- 2,253 $1,851,487,324 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance type
-
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 91-0300-0-1-501
- 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 Special Education and Rehabilitative Services funds personnel preparation and training programs that develop fully qualified special education teachers, early intervention specialists, related services personnel, and school leaders serving children with disabilities, with the most recent grant awards issued October 1, 2026 (CFDA 84.325).
The program distributes 2,253 Project Grants totaling $1.85 billion in federal dollars obligated since 2001. Recent funding activity shows 64 awards in 2025 and 3 awards in 2026 year-to-date. Funded projects train personnel at bachelor's degree, certification, master's degree, and doctoral levels across specializations including applied behavior analysis, visual impairment, hearing loss, speech-language pathology, early intervention, and support for students with high-intensity behavioral and emotional needs. Representative recent awards include Project TURTLES at $921.8 thousand (October 2025, training special educators to lead with evidence), PASE (Preparing Administrators of Special Education) at $1.056 million (October 2025), and BEACON Doctoral Training at $565.4 thousand (October 2026, addressing shortages of special education administrators). Smaller awards cluster in the $200–$300 thousand range, reflecting diverse institutional capacity across higher education, nonprofits, and tribal organizations.
The Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services accounts for 2,206 awards and $1.8 billion federal dollars; a smaller Department of Education component manages 47 awards and $48.3 million. All awards are Project Grants. Recipients include higher education institutions, 501(c)(3) nonprofits, state and local education agencies, and when approved by the Secretary, for-profit organizations. Project periods typically span one to five years with annual renewal subject to appropriation availability and demonstrated progress.
Recent grant opportunities remain active. Two solicitations posted May 13, 2026, with July 2026 due dates are still within application windows for most applicants: ED-GRANTS-051326-002 (Personnel Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel under 84.325K, due July 2, 2026) and ED-GRANTS-051326-001 (Expanding Career Pathways through Registered Apprenticeships under 84.325J as a Cooperative Agreement, due July 13, 2026). Earlier FY 2025 and FY 2024 competitions under variant ALN subtracks (84.325D for administrators, 84.325M for minority-serving institutions, 84.325K for high-intensity needs) have closed.
Objective and description
- Objective
The purposes of this program are to (1) help address State-identified needs for highly qualified personnel--in special education, related services, early intervention, and regular education--to work with infants, toddlers, and children with disabilit
- Description
The Personnel Preparation program helps meet State-identified needs for adequate numbers of fully certified personnel to serve children with disabilities by supporting competitive awards to: • provide research-based training and professional development to prepare special education, related services, early intervention, and regular education personnel to work with children with disabilities; • ensure that those personnel are fully qualified and possess the skills and knowledge that are needed to serve children with disabilities; and • ensure that regular education teachers have the necessary knowledge and skills to provide instruction to students with disabilities in regular education classrooms. In addition, the Department is required by statute to make competitive grants that support training activities in a few areas, including personnel development, beginning special educators, personnel to serve children with low incidence disabilities, and leadership personnel.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
State educational agencies, local education agencies, public charter schools that are LEAs under State law, institutions of higher education, other public agencies, private nonprofit organizations, outlying areas, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and, if approved by the Secretary, for-profit organizations.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Infants, toddlers, and children with disabilities are the primary beneficiaries under this program.
- Uses of assistance
Funds must be used to prepare personnel to serve children with both low and high-incidence disabilities, leadership personnel, and for special projects. Awards are made only to eligible applicants that meet State and professionally recognized standards for the preparation of special education and related services personnel, if the purpose of the project is to assist personnel in obtaining degrees.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Typically from one to five years. Renewals are subject to the availability of appropriations.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting among grant applications will normally be selected from those in the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), 34 CFR Part 75.210, and announced in the application package or the application notice in the Federal Register.
- Award procedure
Applications are reviewed and evaluated by outside experts and program staff, in accordance with the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) (34 CFR 75, Subpart D).
- Renewals
As required by EDGAR, awards may be renewed annually for up to five years throughout the project period of the award, if the recipient has made substantial progress in meeting the goals of the project, subject to the availability of appropriations. (See 34 CFR 75.253)
Grant opportunities
Show 40 more
Latest 50 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 2,253 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vanderbilt University | $104,408,850 | 6% |
| 2 | University Of Florida | $82,302,216 | 4% |
| 3 | University Of Kansas Center For Research Inc. | $35,895,451 | 2% |
| 4 | The University Of Central Florida Board Of Trustees | $34,827,229 | 2% |
| 5 | Florida State University | $31,228,188 | 2% |
| 6 | San Diego State University Foundation | $30,856,984 | 2% |
| 7 | University Of Connecticut Health Center | $30,630,304 | 2% |
| 8 | University Of North Carolina At Chapel Hill | $30,189,617 | 2% |
| 9 | University Of Washington | $27,827,583 | 2% |
| 10 | Florida International University | $24,481,427 | 1% |
10 of 356 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$1,393,716 |
| FY2025 | $108,337,652 |
| FY2024 | $107,456,927 |
| FY2023 | $107,591,092 |
| FY2022 | $88,843,202 |
| FY2021 | $84,311,314 |
| FY2020 | $83,914,679 |
| FY2019 | $82,867,109 |
| FY2018 | $77,560,716 |
| FY2017 | $74,261,589 |
| FY2016 | $77,667,434 |
| FY2015 | $78,303,144 |
| FY2014 | $78,429,462 |
| FY2013 | $79,423,605 |
| FY2012 | $64,686,629 |
| FY2011 | $82,961,080 |
| FY2010 | $95,459,259 |
| FY2009 | $153,646,000 |
| FY2008 | $104,596,299 |
| FY2007 | $45,714,683 |
| FY2006 | $19,700,223 |
| FY2005 | $31,154,875 |
| FY2004 | $20,558,142 |
| FY2003 | $19,794,748 |
| FY2002 | $32,966,502 |
| FY2001 | $52,674,677 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 84.325?
Assistance Listing 84.325 is Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities, a federal grant program run by Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (Department of Education).
What is the CFDA number for Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities?
Its CFDA number is 84.325: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 84.325 awarded?
2,253 grant awards under 84.325 have obligated $1,851,487,324 in federal funds to 356 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 84.325?
The recipients obligated the most under Special Education - Personnel Development to Improve Services and Results for Children with Disabilities are Vanderbilt University ($104,408,850), University Of Florida ($82,302,216) and University Of Kansas Center For Research Inc. ($35,895,451).
How much did 84.325 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 84.325 obligated $108,337,652 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 84.325?
None of the latest 50 opportunities under 84.325 is open now. The latest, OSERS-OSEP: Expanding Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness of Special Education Teachers and Early Intervention Personnel Through Registered Apprenticeships, Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.325J, was posted on May 13, 2026.
On GovTribe
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