U.S. Department of Education opens applications for National Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities; deadline June 30, 2026

The U.S. Department of Education is accepting applications through June 30, 2026, for the National Comprehensive Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities, a content center under the Comprehensive Centers Program, Department group leader Dr. Michelle Daly said in a pre‑application webinar.

The competition, governed by a Notice of Final Priority published in the Federal Register on May 8, 2026, funds centers that develop or identify evidence‑based literacy assessment tools and instructional approaches and provide national dissemination and technical assistance to state and local education agencies. “The Department is accepting applications through June 30th, 2026,” Daly said during the webinar.

Why this matters: the center is designed to strengthen early identification and instruction for students with disabilities (including dyslexia, developmental delays and language processing difficulties) across early childhood through high school. The National Center will partner with regional centers and regional education laboratories to disseminate tools and professional development, with the aim of improving educator practice and student outcomes.

Who can apply and competitive preference: eligibility is established in Section 203B of the Education Technical Assistance Act (ETAA). Eligible applicants include research organizations, institutions of higher education, agencies, partnerships among such entities, or consortia in accordance with 34 CFR Part 75 Subpart C. The Department noted a Competitive Preference Priority (Returning Education to the States) can award up to 10 additional points to applicants that are state educational agencies, tribal education agencies, entities designated or endorsed by a governor or chief state education official, or consortia that meet the criteria; applicants must submit documentation (for example, a letter on official letterhead) at the time of application to claim the preference.

Program and application requirements: applicants must address one absolute priority—the establishment and operation of the National Center on Improving Literacy for Students with Disabilities—and meet general program requirements that apply to all comprehensive centers. Content centers must meet four additional program requirements, including consulting state and CC clients in developing annual service plans and establishing formal partnership agreements with the National Center, regional centers and relevant Department-funded providers.

Selection criteria and scoring: reviewers will score applications on three criteria: significance (maximum 15 points), quality of project design (maximum 55 points) and quality of the management plan (maximum 30 points), for a total of 100 points. The Department outlined subfactors under each criterion, including the use of data to define need, the strength and feasibility of logic models, partnerships and plans for continuous improvement.

Budget and leadership expectations: applicants must include a budget narrative and are required to set aside 5% of the grant annually to address emerging needs related to the project. The Project Director must be allocated a minimum of 0.5 full‑time equivalent (FTE); alternatively, a director and deputy together must provide at least 0.75 FTE. Applicants should describe leadership structure, key personnel qualifications and how they will manage project implementation and compliance.

Estimated funding and award size: the Department said Congress appropriated approximately $50 million to the Comprehensive Centers program for fiscal year 2026 and that the Department estimates the content center award will range from about $1.485 million to $1.5 million for the first budget period. The funding opportunity number for this competition is ED-GRANTS-051126001 and the assistance listing number is 84.283.

How to apply and resources: the ANI posted on grants.gov is the official application notice and includes full instructions and required forms; applicants must submit applications through grants.gov and should register in SAM.gov well in advance of the deadline. The Department posted recorded webinars and FAQs on the Comprehensive Centers Program website and invited questions by email to oesecomprehensivecenters@ed.gov. “Applicants should not rely solely on this webinar for information,” Daly said, advising use of the ANI as the authoritative source.

Next steps: applicants should review the ANI, prepare required documentation (including any state endorsements for CPP points), ensure SAM.gov and grants.gov registration, and submit their complete applications by June 30, 2026. The Department emphasized that award estimates in the ANI are advisory and not binding.