OSERS: OSEP: Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program-Stepping-up Technology Implementation

The U.S. Department of Education, through its Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), is inviting applications for the fiscal year 2025 for the “Stepping-Up Technology Implementation” competition under the Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities Program (ETechM2 Program). This program is designed to improve educational outcomes for children with disabilities by promoting the use of evidence-based, technology-driven tools and interventions specifically aimed at enhancing reading skills from pre-kindergarten through high school. The primary objective of this funding opportunity is to support the implementation of technology-based tools or approaches with at least promising evidence of effectiveness in improving reading outcomes for students with, or at risk for, disabilities. Awardees will establish projects that ensure improved reading outcomes, enhanced educator implementation and engagement, increased family involvement, and sustained use of the selected technologies in diverse instructional settings. Projects must be grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles and evidence-based practices. Each applicant must submit a proposal demonstrating a ready-to-implement technology-based tool that is grounded in research or strong supporting data. The application must include a detailed plan covering site engagement (product/resource development, pilot, and dissemination phases), strategies for scalability, mechanisms for continuous evaluation, and stakeholder involvement. Applicants are also required to provide a logic model, management plans with defined timelines and responsibilities, and strategies for dissemination beyond the immediate sites. The Department estimates available funding for this opportunity at $2,000,000, expecting to make five cooperative agreement awards with a maximum of $400,000 per project annually for up to five years. Projects will be evaluated based on criteria including significance, project design, resource adequacy, management plan quality, and methods of evaluation or evidence-building. There is no matching requirement for this grant. Eligible applicants include state and local educational agencies (including charter schools), public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit and for-profit organizations, tribal entities, and other public agencies. Applicants must ensure compliance with accessibility standards, data reporting requirements, and civil rights assurances. Applications open on June 25, 2025, and are due by July 25, 2025, with an intergovernmental review deadline of August 25, 2025. A pre-application webinar is available via the OSERS website. For further information, applicants should contact Anita Vermeer at anita.vermeer@ed.gov or by phone at (202) 987-0155. Individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing may use telecommunications relay services by dialing 7–1–1.