Special Features and Updates
Higher Education
Innovation Grants to Reward Past Success, Ability to Scale
Washington, Aug. 21 — The largest grant awards from the $650 million Invest in Innovation competition will go toward school district and non-profit programs that show evidence of success and are capable of being replicated on a large scale, U.S. Department of Education (ED) officials said yesterday.
The formal framework for the competition, also known as the "i3" fund, has yet to be announced, but ED officials are releasing details early in order to give applicants time to prepare.
ED Offers Details on School Improvement, ‘Investing in Innovation’ Grants
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) will merge the regular and stimulus portions of the School Improvement Grant fund, an amount totaling more than $3.5 million, and begin releasing grants in December or January, officials said recently.
Guidelines have yet to be released for the stimulus-revamped grant competition, but at the summer conference of the National Association of State Title I Directors (NASTID), officials said the decision to bundle the $540 million from fiscal year 2009 and $3 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds reflects a desire to "demonstrate that this is an area worthy of substantial funding in the future," said Carmel Martin, ED's assistant secretary for planning, evaluation and policy development.
OMB Issues A-133 Compliance Supplement Addendum
Washington, Aug. 12 – The Office of Management and Budget added numerous requirements for auditing American Recovery and Reinvestment Act programs in a recent addendum to the 2009 Circular A-133 Compliance Supplement. The addendum includes special tests and provisions for Recovery Act awards, along with guidance stressing the importance of internal controls over Recovery Act funds.
ED Adds Data-Collection Strings For States to Receive Second Stabilization Fund Grants
Washington, July 30 — States that want to receive their share of the remaining $12.1 billion in “stabilization” funds will have to meet augmented data collection and reporting requirements that go beyond the basic law, according to tentative guidelines released July 24 by the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
$220 Million Available for Health, Other Industry Workforce Training and Placement
Washington, July 23 — Education and training organizations will be key partners in a new $220 million grant program to train unemployed individuals for jobs in health care and other high-growth or emerging industries.
