The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) is the U.S. Department of Education office that administers federal K–12 formula and discretionary grant programs to improve academic outcomes and close opportunity gaps for preschool through secondary students, with a strong emphasis on supporting disadvantaged and underserved populations. OESE funds a broad mix of state education agencies, local education agencies, institutions, and nonprofit/educational partners to build capacity, expand access to high‑quality charter and after‑school programs, strengthen educator effectiveness, and expand school‑based mental health services. Its work is national in scope and tightly tied to statutory program authorities and competitive Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs).
Sign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Large national portfolio that includes both formula (automatic allocations to SEAs/LEAs) and discretionary competitive grants administered through NOFOs; grants vary widely in size and duration by program and are awarded through open competitions, cooperative agreements, and formula allocations on an annual or multi‑year cycle.
Monitor grants.gov and the OESE program pages on ed.gov for NOFO/ALN numbers and deadlines; determine whether a program is formula (state agencies/LEAs) or competitive (open to universities, nonprofits, SEAs/LEAs, charters) and carefully follow eligibility and award type (grant vs. cooperative agreement) in the solicitation; prepare partnerships with SEAs/LEAs for capacity‑building and construct strong evidence/impact statements for discretionary competitions.
Current and upcoming funding from Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Applicants must meet the eligibility requirements in the program competition notice; the available grants page lists eligible entities including nonprofits.
Who can apply: Competition eligibility is set in the program notice; the available grants page shows consortia, LEAs, and nonprofit organizations as eligible applicants.
Deadline: Competition-specific deadlines announced in the Notice Inviting Applications.
Who can apply: Open to charter schools, Indian tribes and tribal organizations, institutions of higher education, local educational agencies, non-profit organizations, private entities, public entities, and state educational agencies.
Who can apply: Open competition; eligibility is limited to entities listed in the program competition notice.
Deadline: Competition-specific deadlines announced in the Notice Inviting Applications.
Track these deadlines, get reminders, and see how well your nonprofit fits — free with a Kindora account.
Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.