Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Model Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities Program (TPSID-CC)

The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education has announced the availability of funding for the fiscal year 2025 under the Model Comprehensive Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities—Coordinating Center (TPSID–CC) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.407B. This initiative is grounded in the Higher Education Act and is aimed at establishing and supporting a national coordinating center for inclusive postsecondary programs specifically serving students with intellectual disabilities (SWIDs). The Coordinating Center will function as a national hub for technical assistance, research dissemination, and best practice sharing to improve educational and employment outcomes for this population. The TPSID–CC is intended to support institutions of higher education (IHEs) offering or developing inclusive transition programs. The coordinating center must offer robust technical assistance for program development, evaluation, credentialing, and sustainability. It is also tasked with developing a comprehensive evaluation protocol to assess student outcomes across academic, social, employment, and independent living domains. In addition, the center must facilitate data collection and mentoring across grantee institutions and provide strategic guidance to improve access and effectiveness of services for SWIDs. One important feature of the FY 2025 funding round is an invitational priority. The Department encourages applicants to incorporate activities from the Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities-National Technical Assistance and Dissemination Center (PPSID–NTAD), particularly in supporting IHEs that are not TPSID grantees and those that do not currently offer comprehensive transition programs. This includes broader dissemination of best practices, development of model memoranda of agreement, and outreach to institutions, families, and students. Eligible applicants include entities or partnerships that demonstrate expertise in higher education, intellectual disability education, comprehensive transition program development, and program evaluation. The Department will fund one cooperative agreement for up to $2,000,000 annually over a five-year period, totaling $10,000,000. No matching funds are required. Applications must be submitted by August 13, 2025, and intergovernmental review must be completed by September 12, 2025. Applications opened on July 14, 2025. The Department has outlined a detailed review and selection process, with evaluation criteria focusing on project need, significance, quality of design, resource adequacy, management plan, and evaluation rigor. The coordinating center will also host annual convenings of grantees, develop accreditation-related standards, and recommend funding mechanisms and credential models. A workgroup will be formed including experts in higher education, special education, accreditation, and disability advocacy to support this effort. The primary contact for this opportunity is Shedita Alston, reachable via email at Shedita.Alston@ed.gov or by phone at (202) 453–7090. The project period is 60 months, and applications must be submitted in accordance with the Department’s Common Instructions for Discretionary Grant Programs, which are available online. The official Federal Register notice also stipulates open licensing requirements for deliverables and outlines the necessity of a dissemination plan for publicly sharing grant-funded products.

Applicants are encouraged to clearly label responses to the invitational priority, and ensure the inclusion of a project abstract, table of contents, and detailed budget narrative.