ED Announces 49 Winners of $650 Million i3 Competition

WASHINGTON, Aug. 8 — After the most heated grant competition in the agency’s history, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has selected 49 schools, districts and non-profit organizations to share in $650 million in Investing in Innovation, or i3, funds.

The winners, which were selected from more than 1,600 applicants — the largest applicant pool ever for an ED grant competition — have until Sept. 8 to secure a private sector commitment worth 20 percent of each grant. Otherwise, in the absence of a waiver, they risk losing federal funding.