Now there are THREE Federal Grants Educator Prep Programs Should Know About Right Now

There are three Federal Grants for Educator Prep Programs open now and can support recruitment and retention initiatives.

TQP Grant — Teacher Quality Partnership Program $70 million available | Deadline: June 23, 2026

The Teacher Quality Partnership program is jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor — and it is one of the most directly aligned federal grants available right now for programs building earn-while-you-learn pathways into teaching.

TQP funds partnerships between institutions of higher education and high-need LEAs, with an explicit focus on improving teacher preparation, strengthening professional development, and recruiting qualified individuals into the profession. Critically, the FY 2026 competition specifically supports Registered Apprenticeships as a high-quality, work-based preparation pathway — making this a direct investment in the pipeline models this series has been exploring.

Eligible applicants must form an "eligible partnership" that includes a high-need LEA and a partner institution of higher education. Partnerships may also include State Education Agencies, nonprofits, charter schools, alternative certification providers, and community organizations — which means this grant is designed for the multi-partner coalition model, not a single institution working alone.

With $70 million available across an expected 10 awards, the average award is approximately $7 million. Cost sharing is required.

→ Full announcement: simpler.grants.gov

SEED Grant — Supporting Effective Educator Development $90 million available | Deadline: June 1, 2026

Jointly administered by the U.S. Departments of Education and Labor, the SEED program funds evidence-based practices that prepare, develop, and strengthen educators. The FY 2026 competition includes four absolute priorities: Supporting Effective Teachers, Supporting Effective Principals and School Leaders, Promoting Evidence-Based Literacy, and Meaningful Learning Opportunities for Students.

Eligible applicants include institutions of higher education, national nonprofit organizations with a demonstrated record of raising student achievement, and partnerships that include a for-profit entity.

If your program can demonstrate impact through rigorous, organized data — this is a meaningful opportunity.

→ Full announcement: Federal Register

TSL Grant — Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program $60 million available | Deadline: June 9, 2026

The TSL program supports the development and expansion of Human Capital Management Systems (HCMS) and Performance-Based Compensation Systems (PBCS) for teachers, principals, and school leaders — with a focus on high-need schools. Awards range from $500K to $8.5M, with an average of $4.3M over a 36-month project period.

Eligible applicants include LEAs, state educational agencies, the Bureau of Indian Education, and partnerships that include at least one nonprofit or for-profit entity. Notably, the TSL program explicitly recognizes registered apprenticeships as an eligible staffing model under its Competitive Preference Priority 2.

This is a direct investment in the kind of data infrastructure that makes educator preparation programs sustainable — and scalable.

TSL Grant Info

A Note on Data Readiness

All three grants require applicants to demonstrate rigorous, reliable data on candidate and program outcomes. Reviewers look for evidence-based practices, clear performance measures, and the infrastructure to collect and report quality data consistently. The TQP grant goes further — asking applicants to show how their partnership will track candidate progression across institutions, not just within a single program.

If your program is still managing that data across spreadsheets, LMS exports, and manual reports — now is the time to address it. Not just for these grants, but for the ones that follow.

Equate Education was built to solve exactly that problem. If you're preparing an application and want to talk through your data infrastructure, schedule a conversation here.