Statewide Workforce and Low Incidence Project 2025

The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) is seeking applications from Minnesota educational cooperative service units that have prior experience in the provision of statewide leadership and other forms of technical assistance to ensure a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with low incidence disabilities. Donor Name: Minnesota Department of Education State: Minnesota County: All Counties Type of Grant: Grant Deadline: (mm/dd/yyyy) 08/23/2024 Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million Grant Duration: 1 Year Details: The grant-funded partner selected for an award will provide supports to continue to sustain and increase the capacity of the special education workforce in Minnesota. The partner selected will provide aligned, requested and anticipated technical assistance, including purposeful and sustained collaborative opportunities to educational professionals who provide education to all students, with a specific focus on students with low incidence disabilities. The work will include a multi-tiered support framework for technical assistance (MTS-TA) to support skill building for educators and other educational professionals, including coordination and partnership with their local districts, coops and other educational agencies that provide special education services. This includes important disability-specific technical assistance and best practices for early identification and support, in collaboration and alignment with institutions of higher education focusing on development of a competent workforce and addressing staff shortages. Students with low incidence disabilities have been those students which comprise less than 10 percent of all students receiving special education services, or students within those historical categories where the needs for some of those students might require a layer of more intensive supports. The categorical areas in which they anticipate necessary supports are listed under specific program expectations for grant-funded partners. Funding Information This grant opportunity estimates that $875,000 per year is available. Project Period The term of the initial grant period is anticipated to be from October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2025. Eligibility Criteria  This competitive grant opportunity is open to Minnesota education cooperative service units that have the capacity to provide leadership and technical assistance on a statewide scale. For more information, visit MDE.