Westat webinar outlines Promise Neighborhoods requirements, IRB rules, and planning tips for applicants

Lori Nathanson, principal research associate and project director for the place-based technical assistance project at Westat, told webinar participants that the U.S. Department of Education’s Promise Neighborhoods program funds place-based efforts to improve cradle-to-career outcomes in high-need communities.

Nathanson said Promise Neighborhoods ‘‘aims to improve academic and developmental outcomes for children and youth in the nation's most distressed communities by supporting cradle to career pathways,’’ and she urged prospective applicants to review the program’s statutory authority under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to ensure proposals align with requirements and allowable activities.

The webinar framed the grant as a systems-focused tool rather than a collection of services. Nathanson emphasized that successful applicants serve as a backbone organization that convenes schools, families, nonprofits, and other partners, implements robust data systems, and reports on 10 population-level Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) indicators to demonstrate substantial progress.

She provided program-scale details: the presenter said Promise Neighborhoods represents 46 grants across 10 cohorts, and that lead applicants must be a nonprofit organization, an institute of higher education, or an Indian tribe; local education agencies may be essential partners but are not eligible to serve as the primary grantee.

On evaluation and data collection, Nathanson identified the neighborhood survey as a ‘‘cornerstone activity’’ and recommended probability-based adult primary-caregiver samples. She noted that surveys are typically conducted every other year and that Promise Neighborhoods commonly collect neighborhood-survey data in years 1, 3, and 5 of the five-year implementation grant period.

Nathanson warned that ‘‘data collection activities are considered covered research by the U.S. Department of Education and therefore must receive IRB review and approval before undertaking those data collection activities.’’ She advised applicants to plan for IRB review early, noted that university-based grantees often use their institutional review board and others borrow a partner’s IRB or contract with commercially available IRBs, and pointed listeners to the Office for Human Research Protections (OHRP) database for registered IRBs.

The webinar introduced the Advancing Conditions framework (revised in 2025) to help backbone organizations self-assess across six conditions—organizational and leadership capacity; community engagement; cradle-to-care solutions; strategic partnerships; sustainable financing; and policy and systems—and to plan milestones across stages (planning, implementing, sustaining).

Nathanson also highlighted commonly overlooked application activities that applicants should budget and plan for, including neighborhood surveys, robust data systems (beyond GPRA reporting), IRB review, and advisory-board development that intentionally includes families and youth rather than relying solely on prominent community leaders.

She closed by noting that the Department of Education provides technical assistance through Westat and partners, pointing participants to Grants.gov and the Promise Neighborhoods program website for the official notice, forms, and the guidance document (3rd edition).

The webinar did not announce new funding decisions; it offered guidance and resources for prospective applicants and directed listeners to the program website and official notice for application details and deadlines.