Contests

Grants and Awards

The National Science Foundation supports Research on Emerging Technologies for Teaching and Learning (RETTL). The purpose of the program is to fund exploratory and synergistic research in emerging technologies (to include, but not limited to, artificial intelligence, robotics, and immersive or augmenting technologies) for teaching and learning in the future. The program accepts proposals that focus on learning, teaching, or a combination of both. The scope of the program is broad, with special interest in diverse learner/educator populations, contexts, and content, including teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and in foundational areas that enable STEM (e.g., self-regulation, literacy, communication, collaboration, creativity, and socio-emotional skills). Research in this program should be informed by the convergence (synthesis) of multiple disciplines: learning sciences; discipline-based education research; computer and information science and engineering; design; and cognitive, behavioral, and social sciences. Within this broad scope, the program also encourages projects that investigate teaching and learning related to futuristic and highly technological work environments. Eligible applicants are academic institutions and nonprofit organizations. Each project will be funded for a duration of 3 years and up for a total funding amount of $850,000. Deadline for the 2022 competition is October 18, 2021, and for the 2023 competition is October 17, 2022. For more information, visit https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2020/nsf20612/nsf20612.pdf

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is supporting a Grand Challenge initiative focused on U.S. education. The Foundation is seeking to disrupt the deeply imbalanced system against this and previous generations of Black, Latino, English Learners (ELs), and students experiencing poverty in the United States. The purpose of the grant is to improve the Algebra I learning experience for these seventh-, eighth-, or ninth-grade priority students, in-class or online. Submissions are welcome from across the globe for a chance at a Phase 1: Planning and Prototyping grant to develop a pilot study plan alongside the Foundation’s external learning partner, American Institute for Research (AIR). Upon completion of the first Phase, awardees can then apply for a Phase 2: Pilot Study grant. Applicants are encouraged to consider how their solution could benefit from the expertise of two or more organizations in a partnership or combine with emerging or existing in-market solutions. Partnerships representing collaboration with a full-course Algebra 1 or a relevant middle grades mathematics series provider are especially encouraged. Other criteria include responsiveness to the areas of focus, innovative approach, collaborative priority student involvement, partnership with AIR, likelihood of success, curriculum alignment, blended learning environment, and emphasis on targeted universalism. Approximately 10 to 15 US$100,000 awards will be funded for Phase 1 and eight to 10 US$1 million awards will be funded for Phase 2. The Grand Challenge is open to organizations globally; including nonprofit organizations, and for-profit companies with all applicants submitting their tax status. Initial applications are due November 6, 2021. For more information, visit https://gcgh.grandchallenges.org/challenge/balance-equation-grand-challenge-algebra-1

The Spencer Foundation supports education research projects that will contribute to the improvement of education , broadly conceived. This program is “field-initiated” in that proposal submissions are not in response to a specific request for a particular research topic, discipline, design, method, or location. The goal for this program is to support rigorous, intellectually ambitious and technically sound research that is relevant to the most pressing questions and compelling opportunities in education. Eligible applicants include nonprofit colleges, universities, school districts, and research facilities, as well as other nonprofit organizations with a 501(c)(3) determination from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The range of funding for each project is US$125,000 to US$500,000. For more information about deadlines and grant criteria, visit https://www.spencer.org/grant_types/larg-research-grant