Application Submission Guide

Part I: Prepare for an IES Grant Competition 

A. Overview of the IES Funding Process 

The Institute of Education Sciences (IES) provides scientific evidence to improve education practice and policy and shares that evidence in a way that can be used by educators, parents, policymakers, researchers, and the public. This guide explains the general submission process for research and research training grant applications to IES’s National Center for Education Research (NCER) and National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER). Use this guide to learn about IES-specific guidance and recommendations to help you ensure your application is complete and submitted on time. See the Request for Applications (RFA) for your competition (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for important information about substantive requirements and submission deadlines.

General Information for All Applicants 

IES requires electronic submission of applications through Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov/). For more information, see the Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/08/29/2025-16571/common-instructions-and-information-for-applicants-to-department-of-education-discretionary-grant). We encourage first-time applicants and institutions that have never used Grants.gov to refer to the Find Help section of this guide and to allot enough time to register in various government systems. Some registrations may take multiple weeks, so we recommend starting as soon as possible to avoid missing the application deadline. 

IES does not accept late applications. IES uses a hard deadline of 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date, as determined by the Grants.gov date and time stamp on your application that shows when it was validated and fully uploaded into the Grants.gov system. 

All applications for IES funding must be self-contained. As an example, reviewers are under no obligation to view an internet website if you include the site address (URL) in your application. You may not submit additional materials or information directly to IES after your application is submitted and the application deadline has passed. 

There are four main steps to the submission process: 

1. Find the RFA for your competition
2. Register in and work with Grants.gov
3. Submit your application before the deadline
4. Track your application 

1. Find the RFA for your Competition 

To find information about what to include in your application, download and read the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for the competition you have identified for your application. The RFAs describe requirements to ensure your application is responsive and compliant so that it can advance to scientific peer review. The RFAs also include recommendations for strong applications.

2. Register in and Work with Grants.gov 

To apply to IES, your organization must be registered on Grants.gov. There are multiple steps you must take to make sure that you and your institution can work within and submit through the Grants.gov system. If your organization is new to federal grants or Grants.gov, review the Grants.gov Applicant Registration (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration) page before you get started.

Steps in Grants.gov: 

• Register with the System for Award Management (SAM; https://www.sam.gov/). It can take up to 2 weeks (and an additional 5 weeks if you need to get an Employer Identification Number [EIN] or Taxpayer Identification Number [TIN]) until the SAM registration process is complete. Although you will be assigned a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) as soon as you start the SAM registration process, the UEI will not be active until you receive an email from SAM congratulating you on your completed registration. To register in SAM.gov, click on the “Get Started” link under the “Register Your Entity…” heading in SAM.gov. Grantees and other entities wanting to do business with IES that are not already registered in SAM.gov must complete the “Register Entity” registration option and NOT the “Get a Unique Entity ID” option. The “Get a Unique Entity ID” option, which is not a full registration, is only available to entities for reporting purposes. Failing to complete the “Register Entity” option may result in loss of funding, loss of applicant eligibility, and/or delays in receiving a grant award. For more help with registering in SAM or updating your existing SAM registration, see the SAM Quick Start Guide for Grant Registrations (https://www.fsd.gov/sys_attachment.do?sys_id=f51d017e1bab7c105465eaccac4bcb9f%20) and the Entity Registration Video at https://sam.gov/content/entity-registration.
• Register with Grants.gov. Once your registration in SAM is complete and your UEI is active, you are ready to register on Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov/register). Whether you are an applicant for an organization or an individual applying for grants on your own, you only need to register one account on Grants.gov. This registration process can be completed in minutes.
• Add a Profile to a Grants.gov Account. Once you have a Grants.gov account, you may add a profile and use the My Account features to manage one or more profiles within your account. If you already have a Grants.gov account, you do not need to register another account. After adding a profile, learn how roles are authorized for profiles and how to track your roles status.
• Create and use the Grants.gov Workspace. You must create or use an existing workspace (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/workspace-overview/) within Grants.gov to submit your application. You must provide the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) on your application that was used when you registered as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) on Grants.gov. This UEI is assigned to your organization in SAM at the time your organization registers in SAM. If you do not enter the UEI assigned by SAM on your application, Grants.gov will reject your application.

3. Submit Your Application Before the Deadline 

The deadline time for all IES competitions is 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. The time required to upload an application varies depending on factors such as the size of the application, the speed of your internet connection, and whether you have completed the forms in the application package correctly. Grants.gov recommends the following to ensure a validated, on-time submission. 

Submit Early. Begin the submission process at least 48 hours before the deadline to allow time to correct errors during submission. For example, if you begin the submission process at 11:00:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date and Grants.gov rejects the application at 11:15:00 p.m. Eastern Time, there may not be enough time for you to locate the error that caused the submission to be rejected, correct it, and then attempt to submit the application again before the 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time deadline. 

If your application is fully uploaded and validated by Grants.gov after 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the application deadline date, your application will not be accepted and will not be reviewed. If the Grants.gov Support Desk determines that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that the problem affected your ability to submit the application by the submission deadline, you may petition IES to review your application by emailing the IES program officer for your competition (see the RFA; https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) with the Grants.gov Support Desk case number and related information. However, if Grants.gov determines that the problem you experienced is one of those identified by Grants.gov as common application errors (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/encountering-error-messages), do not petition IES to have your case reviewed because these common submission problems are not grounds for petition. IES will not accept applications that are late due to failure to follow the Grants.gov submission guidelines and those summarized in this document. 

If you encounter an error or have difficulty with your submission, call or email the Grants.gov Support Center (https://www.grants.gov/support) at 800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov for assistance with resolving these issues well in advance of 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. 

Encountering Error Messages. To avoid a problem later, review the Grants.gov page that explains common error messages encountered by applicants while completing or submitting an application package (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/encountering-error-messages). Many errors are a result of Adobe software compatibility issues (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility). 

Assign AOR Role Appropriately in Grants.gov Profile. Each organization has one electronic Business Point of Contact (eBIZ POC) that is assigned in SAM. The eBIZ POC authorizes the appropriate roles in the Grants.gov Workspace Profile, including that of the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Only users assigned the AOR role can submit grant applications on behalf of their organization. When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the person assigned the AOR role is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The eBIZ POC must authorize people who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as a user with the AOR role. This step is often missed and is crucial for valid and timely submissions. 

Use the Correct UEI Number. To submit successfully, you must provide the UEI number on your application that was used when you registered as an AOR on Grants.gov (typically the same UEI used to register with SAM). If you do not enter the same UEI number on your application as the UEI you registered with, Grants.gov will reject your application. 

4. Track Your Application 

There are two main steps in tracking your application: (a) verify your submission through Grants.gov, and (b) track your application through the IES Peer Review Information Management Online (PRIMO) system. 

Verify That Your Application Was Validated by Grants.gov. Monitor the email account you used to create your profile when registering on Grants.gov. You should receive emails as soon as you attempt to upload your application. 

Tracking this process is important because IES will send your application forward for review only if the date and time received by Grants.gov meets the following: 

• Submitted no later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date
• Has the following status
  • Validated – no errors in submission
  • Received by Agency – Grants.gov has transmitted the submission to the U.S. Department of Education
  • Agency Tracking Number Assigned – the U.S. Department of Education has assigned a unique PR/Award Number to the application 

If the date and time received by Grants.gov is later than 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date, the application is late and will not be considered further by IES. If the application has a status of “Received,” it is still awaiting validation by Grants.gov. Once validation is complete, the status changes to either “Validated” or “Rejected with Errors.” If the status is “Rejected with Errors,” the application has not been received successfully. 

In total, you will receive four emails about your IES application as it is processed by Grants.gov. The first three emails come from Grants.gov, and the fourth comes from the U.S. Department of Education. 

• 1st email: Grants.gov sends an email in a matter of minutes and acknowledges that you are attempting to submit an application. This email includes a Grants.gov application tracking number beginning with the word “GRANT,” for example GRANT00234567. Use this number to track your application as it makes its way through Grants.gov using the “Track My Application” link https://www.grants.gov/applicants/grant-applications/track-my-application.
• 2nd email: Grants.gov next sends an email telling you if your application was validated by Grants.gov or if it had errors and was rejected. If your application is rejected with errors, you must correct the errors and try to submit it again as a Changed/Corrected Application before the 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time deadline on the due date.
• 3rd email: Grants.gov then tells you that the U.S. Department of Education has your validated application from Grants.gov.
• 4th email: The U.S. Department of Education (ED) sends the fourth email that assigns an ED tracking number (the PR/Award number) unique to your application. This number begins with the letter R, followed by the 3-digit section of the ALN number unique to the research competition, then the 2-digit fiscal year, and finally four digits unique to your application. This email also includes information about the time stamp marking receipt of a valid application from Grants.gov. If your application was received after 11:59:59 p.m. on the deadline date, this email will also state that the application is late and that it will therefore not be given further consideration. 

Track Your Application Through PRIMO. After applications are fully uploaded and validated at Grants.gov and transferred to ED for processing, they are transferred to the PRIMO system (https://iesreview.ed.gov/). PRIMO allows applicants to track the progress of their application via the Applicant Notification System (ANS). 

After the application deadline, the PRIMO system sends invitation emails to applicants who have never applied to IES before to create their individual PRIMO ANS accounts. Both the project director/principal investigator and the AOR will receive invitation emails. All applicants (new and existing ANS users) receive an email from PRIMO with information about the status of the application. You can expect up to three emails. 

• 1st email: “IES – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – Status of Application (part 1 of 2)” provides login information
• 2nd email: “IES – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – Status of Application (part 2 of 2)” provides password information
• 3rd email: (or 1st if you already have an ANS account): “FY 20XX Application Status Update – Institute of Education Sciences – PRIMO ANS” tells you to log into PRIMO to see the status of your application 

After IES screens the applications retrieved from Grants.gov, you can log into ANS to see the status of your application. It will be one of the following: 

• Forwarded for Peer Review - IES has determined that the application is compliant with and responsive to the requirements of the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) and will be forwarded for peer review.
• Duplicate - The application was identified as a duplicate of another application submitted through Grants.gov for the same closing date. This typically happens when you have submitted a Changed/Corrected application.
• Late - The application was submitted after the 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time deadline on the due date.
• Non-Responsive to RFA - IES determined that the application is not responsive to the substantive requirements of the RFA. If this happens, you will receive an additional email from PRIMO with a subject line of “IES (PR/Award Number)” that explains the decision.
• Non-Compliant to RFA - IES determined that the application does not comply with the application rules in the RFA. If this happens, you will receive an additional email from PRIMO with the subject line “IES (PR/Award Number)” that explains the decision.
• Non-Compliant and Non-Responsive to RFA - IES determined that the application is neither compliant with nor responsive to the requirements of the RFA. If this happens, you will receive an additional email from PRIMO with the subject line “IES (PR/Award Number)” that explains the decision.
• Withdrawn - The application was withdrawn by the applicant.

After the scientific peer review panel meetings are complete, you will receive additional emails indicating that there is new information in ANS about your application. 

• Scores are released after panel meetings are complete. PRIMO email subject line: “Institute of Education Sciences – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – New Information”
• Summary Statements are released after panel meetings are complete. PRIMO email subject line: “Institute of Education Sciences – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – New Information”
• Decision Letters are released after panel meetings are complete. PRIMO email subject line: “Institute of Education Sciences – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – New Information”

• Funding Status information is released after panel meetings are complete. PRIMO email subject line: “Institute of Education Sciences – PRIMO Applicant Notification System (ANS) – New Information” 

   

B. Find Help 

1. IES Support for Applicants 

IES provides support to applicants through virtual office hours (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/help). 

2. Work with Grants.gov 

IES program officers will not be able to help you when you are working with Grants.gov. If you have problems submitting to Grants.gov before the closing date and time, contact Grants.gov Customer Support at 800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov or access the Grants.gov Self-Service Knowledge Base (https://grants-portal.psc.gov/Welcome.aspx?pt=Grants). 

• Be aware of common errors and problems. Well in advance of the deadline date, make sure you are familiar with some of the common errors that can happen when completing or submitting an application (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/encountering-error-messages).
• Ensure that you meet the software requirements for completing the Grants.gov forms. For more detailed information on troubleshooting Adobe errors, you can review the Adobe Reader Software Tip Sheet on https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility. 

You can also go to Grants.gov Support (https://www.grants.gov/support) for help with Grants.gov. For additional tips related to submitting grant applications, please refer to the Grants.gov Applicant FAQs (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs) and the FAQs for using the Grants.gov Workspace (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs#workspace).

C. Technology Considerations 

1. Internet Connections 

The time required to up load and submit your application will vary depending upon several factors including the type and speed of your internet connection. Plan your submission accordingly. 

2. Browser Support 

The latest versions of Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, and Apple Safari are supported for use with Grants.gov. Because these web browsers undergo frequent changes and updates, we recommend you have the latest version when using Grants.gov. Legacy versions of these web browsers may be functional, but you may experience issues. Grants.gov no longer provides support for Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 or below. 

For additional information or updates, please see the Grants.gov browser information in the Applicant FAQs (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs#browser). 

3. Software Requirements 

You will need Adobe software to complete the forms in the application packages. Grants.gov recommends using Adobe Acrobat Reader for Windows or MAC OS and provides an Adobe Software Compatibility page where you can download the appropriate version of Adobe if needed (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility). 

Part II: Complete Your Application in Grants.gov 

A. The IES Application Packages 

IES uses the government-wide SF 424 Research and Related (R&R) Forms Family (OMB Number 4040 0001) for its application packages. 

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control numbers for this information collection are 4040-0001 and 4040-0010. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 40 hours per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed, and complete and review the information collection. If you have any comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this family of forms, please write to U.S. Department of Education, Washington, D.C. 20202-4537.

1. Find the Application Package for Your Competition 

To find the application package for the competition you want to apply to, search on Grants.gov (https://www.grants.gov/search-grants) by the Assistance Listing Number (ALN; formerly the CFDA number) for the research competition without the alpha suffix. Use ALN 84.305 for competitions through the National Center for Education Research (NCER; https://ies.ed.gov/about/national-center-education-research-ncer), ALN 84.324 for competitions through the National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER; https://ies.ed.gov/about/national-center-special-education-research-ncser). 

2. Mandatory and Optional Forms 

The IES application packages include both mandatory and optional forms, some of which ask for file attachments that may or may not be needed for your specific application.

Within these forms, some fields must be completed (they are marked by an asterisk) for the application package to be uploaded and validated by Grants.gov.

B. Formatting Guidelines for File Attachments 

We recommend the following for all file attachments to better ensure applications are processed in a timely, accurate, and efficient manner through Grants.gov and the U.S. Department of Education. 

1. Create Adobe Portable Document File (PDF) Attachments 

• Save each file to be attached as a read-only, flattened PDF, although Microsoft Word files are accepted.
• Give each file a unique name. Grants.gov cannot process an application that includes two or more files that have the same name within a grant submission.
• Name files with fewer than 50 characters and avoid using special characters. 
  • Grants.gov allows the following UTF-8 characters as file names for your PDF attachments: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore, hyphen, space, period, parenthesis, curly braces, square brackets, ampersand, tilde, exclamation point, comma, semicolon, apostrophe, at sign, number sign, dollar sign, percent sign, plus sign, and equal sign.
• Limit the size of file attachments. PDF files that contain graphics or scanned material can increase the size of the file attachment and take a long time to process. The average discretionary grant application package with all attachments is less than 5 MB. Check the total size of your application before submission and allow for extra time to upload applications with large file attachments. 

2. Ensure File Attachment Content is Legible for Reviewers 

The attachments to the forms are a critical part of the IES application because they include the substantive content that will be reviewed for theoretical and practical significance and scientific merit. Adherence to font and type size and spacing requirements is necessary so that no applicant will have an unfair advantage by using a small type size or by providing more text in their applications. These requirements apply to the PDF file as submitted, unless the RFA that you are using for your specific application specifies that the following do not apply. 

Page and Margin Specifications

For all IES grant applications, a “page” is 8.5 in. x 11 in. on one side only with 1-inch margins at the top, bottom, and both sides. 

Page Numbering

Add page numbers using the header or footer function and place them at the bottom or upper right corner for ease of reading. 

Spacing

Text must be single spaced. 

Font and Type Size

Use a font that is 12-point.

Use one of the following fonts: Times New Roman, Courier, Courier New, or Arial.

Accessibility

Meet or exceed standards for accessibility (including alternative texts for charts, figures, and graphs) in compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For assistance with 508 compliance, please visit section508.gov/create.

Citations

Use the parenthetical author-date style for citations rather than numeric citations that correspond to the reference list.

C. The SF 424 (R&R) Forms Family 

1. Application for Federal Assistance SF 424 (R&R) 

Complete this form first because it populates certain fields on some of the other forms in the application package. 

Item 1 – Type of Submission 

Select “Application” or “Changed/Corrected Application.” Select “Changed/Corrected Application” if you need to submit an updated version of an already submitted application. For example, you might need to do this if you discover you left a required component out of the application you just submitted. Do not select “Pre-Application” as IES does not require pre-applications for its grant competitions. 

Item 2 – Date Submitted 

Enter the date the application is submitted to IES. Leave the Applicant Identifier field blank. 

Item 3 – Date Received by State and State Application Identifier

Leave these items blank. 

Item 4 – 

IES uses this item to screen applications for responsiveness to competition requirements and assignment to the appropriate scientific peer review panel. 

• Item 4a: Federal Identifier. Enter information in this field if this is a resubmission. If this application is a revision of an application that was submitted to an IES competition in a prior fiscal year that received reviewer feedback, then this application is considered a “Resubmission” (see Item 8 Type of Application). Enter the PR/Award number that was assigned to the prior submission in this field.
• Item 4b: Agency Routing Number. If applicable to your competition, enter the code for the topic and project type that the application addresses in this field. See the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for your competition to determine if you need to enter codes in this field, and if so, to find the appropriate codes for your application. It is critical that you use the appropriate codes in this field and that the codes shown in this field agree with the information included in the application abstract. Indicating the correct codes facilitates the appropriate processing and review of the application. Failure to do so may result in delays to processing and puts your application at risk for being identified as nonresponsive and not reviewed.
• Item 4c: Previous Grants.gov Tracking ID. If this is a “Changed/Corrected” application to correct an error (see Item 1), enter the PR/Award Number associated with the application that was already submitted through Grants.gov for this fiscal year competition. Contact the program officer listed on the application package and provide the Grants.gov tracking numbers associated with both applications (the one with errors and the one that has been corrected) to ensure that the corrected application is reviewed. 

Item 5 – Applicant Information 

Enter all the information requested, including the legal name of the applicant, the name of the primary organizational unit (school, department, division) that will undertake the activity, and the address, including the county and the 9-digit ZIP/Postal Code of the primary performance site, which is the applicant institution location. This field is required if the Project Performance Site is in the United States.

The field for “Country” is pre-populated with “USA: UNITED STATES.” For applicants located in another country, contact the relevant IES program officer before submitting the application. 

Also consider the following: 

• Organizational UEI. Enter the UEI of the applicant organization. Make sure the UEI number is the same one used to register on Grants.gov. If the UEI number used in the application is not the same as the UEI number used to register with Grants.gov, the application will be rejected with errors by Grants.gov.
• Person to Be Contacted on Matters Involving this Application. Enter all the information requested, including the name, telephone and fax numbers, and email address of the person to be contacted on matters involving this application. The role of this person is primarily for communication purposes on the budgetary aspects of the project. As an example, this may be the contact person from the applicant institution’s office of sponsored projects. Use the drop-down menus where they are provided. 

Item 6 – Employer Identification (EIN) or (TIN) 

Enter either the Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Tax Identification Number (TIN) as assigned by the Internal Revenue Service. If the applicant organization is not located in the United States, enter 44 4444444. 

Item 7 – Type of Applicant 

Use the drop-down menu to select the type of applicant. Specify if “Other.” 

• Small Business Organization Type. If “Small Business” is selected as Type of Applicant, indicate whether or not the applicant is a “Women Owned” small business – a small business that is at least 51 percent owned by a woman or women, who also control and operate it. Also indicate whether the applicant is a “Socially and Economically Disadvantaged” small business, as determined by the U.S. Small Business Administration pursuant to section 8(a) of the Small Business Act U.S.C. 637(a). 

Item 8 – Type of Application 

Indicate whether the application is a “New” application or a “Resubmission” of an application that was submitted under a previous IES competition and received reviewer comments. Do not select any option other than "New" or "Resubmission" as they do not apply to IES competitions. 

Submission to Other Agencies. Indicate whether this application is being submitted to another agency or agencies. If yes, indicate the name of the agency or agencies. 

In any given fiscal year, you may submit applications to more than one of the research grant programs offered through the Department, including those offered through IES as well as those offered through other offices and programs within the Department. You may submit multiple applications to a single grant program as long as they address different key issues, programs, or policies. However, you may submit a given application only once for the IES grant competitions in a fiscal year, meaning you may not submit the same application or similar applications to multiple grant programs within IES, to multiple topics within a grant competition, or multiple times within the same topic. If you submit multiple similar applications, IES will determine whether and which applications will be accepted for review and/or will be eligible for funding. 

In addition, if you submit the same or similar application to IES and to another funding entity within or external to the Department and receive funding for the non-IES application prior to IES scientific peer review of applications, you must withdraw the same or similar application submitted to IES, or IES may otherwise determine you are ineligible to receive an award. If reviews are happening concurrently, IES staff will consult with the other potential funder to determine the degree of overlap and which entity will provide funding if both applications are being considered for funding. 

Item 9 – Name of Federal Agency 

Do not complete this item – information already entered for you.

Item 10 – Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Number 

Do not complete this item – information already entered for you. 

Item 11 – Descriptive Title of Applicant’s Project

Enter a distinctive, descriptive title for the project (200 characters or fewer). This title should not be the name of the grant competition but rather a description of the proposed project. 

Item 12 – Proposed Project Start Date and Ending Date 

Enter the proposed start date of the project and the proposed end date of the project. See the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) to determine the start and end dates allowed for your competition. 

Item 13 – Congressional District of Applicant 

For both the applicant and the project, enter the Congressional District in this format: 2-character State Abbreviation and 3-character District Number (for example, CA-005 for California's 5th district, CA-012 for California's 12th district). Grants.gov provides help with finding your congressional district code (https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs#forms). If the program/project is outside the U.S., enter 00-000. 

Item 14 – Project Director/Principal Investigator Contact Information 

Enter all the information requested for the project director/principal investigator, including position/title, name, address (including county), organizational affiliation (organization, department, division), telephone and fax numbers, and email address. 

Item 15 – Estimated Project Funding 

• Total Federal Funds Requested. Enter the total federal funds requested for the entire project period. Check that the total federal funds requested do not exceed cost maximums for your competition as described in the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants).
• Total Non-Federal Funds. Enter the total non-federal funds requested for the entire project period.
• Total Federal & Non-Federal Funds. Enter the total estimated funds for the entire project period, including both federal and non-federal funds.
• Estimated Program Income. Identify any program income estimated for the project period, if applicable. 

Item 16 – Is Application Subject to Review by State Executive Order 12372 Process? Select “No” as IES is not soliciting applications that are subject to review by Executive Order 12372. 

Item 17 – 

Provide the Authorized Organization Representative’s (AOR’s) electronic signature. By providing the electronic signature, the AOR certifies – 

• To the statements contained in the list of certifications
• That the statements are true, complete, and accurate to the best of his or her knowledge. 

With this electronic signature, the AOR also provides the required assurances, agrees to comply with any resulting terms if an award is accepted, and acknowledges that any false, fictitious, or fraudulent statements or claims may subject the AOR to criminal, civil, or administrative penalties. 

Item 18 – SF LLL or other Explanatory Documentation 

Do not add the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities - Standard Form LLL here. A copy of the SF LLL is provided as an optional form within the application package. If it is applicable to the grant submission, choose the SF LLL from the optional forms menu in the Grants.gov Workspace, complete it, and save the completed SF LLL form as part of the application package. 

Item 19 – Authorized Representative 

The AOR is the official who has the authority both to legally commit the applicant to (1) accept federal funding and (2) execute the proposed project. Enter all information requested for the Authorized Representative including name, title, organizational affiliation (organization, department, division), address, telephone and fax numbers, and email address. Use the drop-down menus where they are provided. 

• Signature of Authorized Representative. Leave blank; the system automatically completes this when the application is submitted through Grants.gov.
• Date Signed. Leave blank; the system automatically completes this when the application is submitted through Grants.gov. 

Item 20 – Pre-application 

Leave blank; IES does not require pre-applications for its grant competitions. 

Item 21 – Cover Letter 

Leave blank; IES does not require cover letters for its grant competitions. 

2. Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) Form 

Use this form to (1) identify the project director (PD)/principal investigator (PI) and other senior and/or key persons involved in the project, (2) specify the role key staff will serve, and (3) provide contact information for each senior/key person identified. The form also requests information about the highest academic or professional degree or other credentials earned and the degree year. Attach a biographical sketch for each senior/key person as a separate PDF file attachment on this form. 

While not required at the time of application, all key personnel must have a persistent identifier (PID), such as an ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID; https://orcid.org/) at the time of award. For all key personnel who have a PID at the time of application, include the PID in the biosketch and in the “Credential, e.g., agency login” field on this form. 

The Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Form allows you to attach as many as 40 biographical sketches: 1 for the PD/PI and up to 39 additional sketches for senior/key staff. At a minimum, everyone listed on this form should also be listed in the Personnel section of the project narrative (see the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for your competition). You may also include biographical sketches for consultants. 

IES strongly encourages applicants to use SciENcv (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv/) where you will find an IES biosketch form. You may also develop your own biosketch format. If you use SciENcv, you will enter current and pending support information in the IES biosketch template. If you use your own format, you will need to provide this information in a separate table. See the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for your competition for more information about the content and formatting of the biosketches. 

The biographical sketch for the PI, each co-principal investigator (co-PI), and other key personnel should show how key personnel possess the training and expertise commensurate with their specified duties on the proposed project, for example by describing relevant publications, grants, and research experience. 

Provide a list of current and pending grants for the PI, each co-PI, and other key personnel, along with the proportion of their time, expressed as percent effort over a 12-month calendar year, allocated to each project. Include the proposed IES grant as one of the pending grants in this list. If the total 12-month calendar year percent effort across all current and pending projects exceeds 100 percent, explain how time will be allocated if all pending applications are successful in the Narrative Budget Justification. 

3. Research and Related Personal Data – PD/PI and Co-PD(s)/Co-PI(s) Form 

IES is committed to monitoring its review and award processes to identify and address any inequities based on gender, race, ethnicity, or disability of key personnel. To help IES gather information for this important task, we encourage you to submit the requested information for the PI and each identified co-PI and co-I. IES will separate this form from the application upon receipt as it is not a part of the review process. The data provided through this form will be kept confidential. We encourage you to provide this information as it will help us in our efforts to ensure an equitable review and award process for all applicants. 

Providing the requested information is voluntary and is not a precondition of award. If you do not want to provide some or all of the information requested, you may select “Do Not Wish To Provide” by category (Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Disability Status, and Citizenship). 

4. Project/Performance Site Location(s) Form 

Use this form to identify the primary site where project work will be performed and up to seven additional sites if applicable. As an example, a research proposal to an IES competition may include the applicant institution as the primary site and one or more subaward institutions where data collection will also take place. You will need to identify the Congressional District for each site included on this form (see above, Application for Federal Assistance SF 424 (R&R) Item 13 for information about Congressional Districts and their codes). UEI number information is not required on this form. 

5. Research & Related Other Project Information Form 

This form asks for detailed information about the research being proposed, including information about human subject participation, the significance of the problem your research will address, and the research design and analytic plan. 

This form is where you attach the substantive content of your research application as PDF file attachments: the Project Summary/Abstract, the Project Narrative, and required and optional Appendices (all as one PDF file); the Bibliography and References Cited; and the Research on Human Subjects Narrative. You can find information about these substantive components of the application in the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants). 

Item 1 – Are Human Subjects Involved? 

If activities involving human subjects (namely research participants) are planned at any time during the proposed project at any performance site or collaborating institution, you must check “Yes.” (You must check “Yes” even if the proposed project is exempt from Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects.) If there are no activities involving human subjects planned at any time during the proposed project at any performance site or collaborating institution, you may check “No” and skip to Item 2. If you are applying for a training grant, the training participants are not typically human subjects. 

• 1.a. If YES to Human Subjects 

  Is the Project Exempt from Federal Regulations? You must answer this question if human subjects are involved. If all human subject activities are exempt from Human Subjects regulations, check “Yes” and check the appropriate exemption number. The six categories of research that qualify for exemption from coverage by the regulations are described on the U.S. Department of Education’s website (https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/humansub/overview.html). Provide an Exempt Research on Human Subjects Narrative at Item 12 of this form. 

  If any of the activities are not exempt, check “No” and answer the questions about IRB. 

  If No, is the IRB review pending? Select “Yes” or “No” and provide a Non-Exempt Research on Human Subjects Narrative at Item 12 of this form. 

  A “Yes” response means that you have not completed the IRB review process because you have either not started the process yet or have started it but not completed it. If you select “Yes” to pending, leave the IRB approval date blank. 

  A “No” response means that you have completed the IRB review process. If you select “No” to pending, you are required to enter the latest IRB approval date. Therefore, you should select “No” only if a date is available for IRB approval.

  Human Subject Assurance Number: Leave this item blank.

Item 2 – Are Vertebrate Animals used? 

Check “Yes” or “No.” 

Item 3 – Is proprietary/privileged information included in the application? 

Patentable ideas, trade secrets, privileged or confidential commercial or financial information, disclosure of which may harm the applicant, should be included in applications only when such information is necessary to convey an understanding of the proposed project. If the application includes such information, check “Yes” and clearly mark each line or paragraph on the pages containing the proprietary/privileged information with a legend like: "The following contains proprietary/privileged information that (name of applicant) requests not be released to persons outside the Government, except for purposes of review and evaluation.” 

Item 4 – Does this project have an actual or potential impact on the environment? 

Check “Yes” or “No.” 

Item 5 – Is the research site designated or eligible to be designated as a historic place? 

Check “Yes” or “No” and explain if necessary. 

Item 6 – Does the project involve activities outside of the United States or partnerships with international collaborators? 

Check “Yes” or “No” and if “Yes,” identify the countries, but an explanation is optional. 

Item 7 – Project Summary/Abstract 

Attach the Project Summary/Abstract as a PDF file here. See the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for information about the content of this file attachment. 

Item 8 – Project Narrative Including Appendices 

Create a single PDF file that contains the Project Narrative and all required and optional Appendices and attach it here. Download and read the RFA (https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants) for your competition for important information about requirements that must be met in the project narrative and which required appendices you must include in order to advance to scientific peer review as well as which optional appendices we recommend you include to strengthen your application. 

• Project Narrative: See the RFA for information about the project narrative. Number pages consecutively using the header or footer function. Use the parenthetical author-date style for citations rather than numeric citations that correspond to the reference list.
• Appendices: Some appendices are required, and some are optional. Download and read the RFA for your competition to determine which appendices you must include and which appendices we recommend you include with the required project narrative for your application. 

Item 9 – Bibliography and References Cited 

Attach the Bibliography and References Cited as a PDF file here. See the RFA for information about the content of this file attachment. 

Item 10 – Facilities and Other Resources 

Do not include an attachment here.

Item 11 – Equipment 

Do not include an attachment here. 

Item 12 – Other Attachments 

Use this item to attach a Research on Human Subjects Narrative. The Exempt or Non-Exempt Narrative addresses the U.S. Department of Education’s Regulations for the Protection of Human Subjects (https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocfo/humansub.html). If you indicated that the project is exempt from federal regulations (see Item 1 of this form) you must provide an Exempt Research Narrative. If some or all of the planned research activities are covered by (not exempt from) the Human Subjects Regulations, you must provide a Non-Exempt Research Narrative. 

• Exempt Research on Human Subjects Narrative - Provide sufficient information about the involvement of human subjects in the proposed research to allow a determination by the Department that the designated exemption(s) are appropriate. The six categories of research that qualify for exemption from coverage by the regulations are described on the Department’s website (https://www2.ed.gov/policy/fund/guid/humansub/overview.html).
• Non-Exempt Research on Human Subjects Narrative - Describe the characteristics of the subject population, the data to be collected from human subjects, recruitment and consent procedures, any potential risks, planned procedures for protecting against or minimizing potential risks, the importance of the knowledge to be gained relative to potential risks, and any other sites where human subjects are involved. 

The U.S. Department of Education does not require certification of Institutional Review Board approval at the time you submit your application. However, if an application that involves non-exempt human subjects research is recommended for funding, the designated U.S. Department of Education official will request that you obtain and send the certification to the Department within 30 days of the formal request. 

6. Research & Related Budget (Total Federal+Non-Federal)-Sections A & B; C, D, & E; F-L 

This form asks you to provide a detailed project budget for each year of support requested for the applicant institution. The form also asks you to indicate any non-federal funds supporting the project. Provide this budget information for each project year using all sections of the R&R Budget form. Note that the budget form has multiple sections for each budget year: A & B; C, D, & E; and F - L. 

• Sections A & B ask for information about Senior/Key Persons and Other Personnel.
• Sections C, D & E ask for information about Equipment, Travel, and Participant/Trainee Costs.
• Sections F - L ask for information about Other Direct Costs and Indirect Costs. 

You must complete each of these sections for as many budget periods (project years) as you are requesting funds. The narrative budget justification for each of the project budget years must be attached at Section L of the first budget period; otherwise, you will not be able to enter budget information for subsequent project years. All fields asking for total funds in this form will auto calculate. Below are descriptions of the fields. 

Note: Budget information for a subaward(s) on the project must be entered using the R&R Subaward Budget (Fed/Non-Fed) Attachment(s) Form. This is the only form that can be used to complete subaward budget information. The application will be rejected with errors by Grants.gov if subaward budget information is included using any other form or file format. 

Organizational UEI 

If you completed the SF 424 R&R Application for Federal Assistance form first, the UEI number will be pre-populated here. Otherwise, you must enter the organizational UEI number here.

Budget Type 

Check the box labeled “Project” to indicate that this is the budget requested for the primary applicant organization. 

Budget Period Information 

Enter the start date and the end date for each budget period. Enter no more than the number of budget periods allowed for the project as determined by the Award Duration Maximums for your project (see the RFA; https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants). Note: If you activate an extra budget period and leave it blank this may cause your application to be rejected with errors by Grants.gov. 

Budget Sections A & B – Personnel 

A. Senior/Key Person 

The project director/principal investigator information will be pre-populated here from the SF 424 R&R Application for Federal Assistance form if it was completed first. Then, enter all the information requested for each of the remaining senior/key personnel, including the project role of each and the number of months each will devote to the project expressed as calendar months. You may enter the annual compensation (base salary in dollars) paid by the employer for each senior/key person; however, you may choose to leave this field blank. Regardless of the number of months devoted to the project, indicate only the amount of salary being requested for each budget period for each senior/key person. Enter applicable fringe benefits, if any, for each senior/key person. Enter the federal dollars and, if applicable, the non-federal dollars. 

B. Other Personnel 

Enter all the information requested for each project role listed – for example postdoctoral associates, graduate students, undergraduate students, secretary/clerical – including, for each project role, the number of personnel proposed, and the number of months devoted to the project (preferably in calendar months). Regardless of the number of months devoted to the project, indicate only the amount of salary/wages being requested for each project role. Enter applicable fringe benefits, if any, for each project role category. Enter the federal dollars and, if applicable, the non-federal dollars. 

Total Salary, Wages, and Fringe Benefits (A + B). This total will auto calculate. 

Budget Sections C, D, & E – Equipment, Travel, and Participant Support 

C. Equipment Description 

Enter all the information requested for equipment. Equipment is defined as an item of property that has an acquisition cost of $10,000 or more (unless the applicant organization has established lower levels) and an expected service life of more than 1 year. List each item of equipment separately and justify each in the narrative budget justification. Allowable items ordinarily will be limited to research equipment and apparatus not already available for the conduct of the work. General-purpose equipment, such as a personal computer, is not eligible for support unless primarily or exclusively used in the actual conduct of scientific research. Enter the federal dollars and, if applicable, the non-federal dollars. 

Total C. Equipment. This total will auto calculate. 

D. Travel 

Enter all the information requested for Travel. 

• Enter the total funds requested for domestic travel. In the narrative budget justification, include the purpose, destination, dates of travel (if known), applicable per diem rates, estimated lodging and travel cost, and number of individuals for each trip. If the dates of travel are not known, specify the estimated length of the trip (for example 3 days). Enter the federal dollars and, if applicable, the non-federal dollars.
• Enter the total funds requested for foreign travel. In the narrative budget justification, include the purpose, destination, dates of travel (if known), applicable per diem rates, estimated lodging and travel cost, and number of individuals for each trip. If the dates of travel are not known, specify the estimated length of the trip (for example 3 days). Enter the federal dollars and, if applicable, the non-federal dollars.

Total D. Travel Costs. This total will auto calculate. 

E. Participant/Trainee Support Costs. 

Enter the funds requested for Participant/Trainee Support Costs by category. Use this section only if you are applying to an IES training program competition (84.305B and 84.324B). Any funds that are to be spent directly on trainees and their activities, for example stipends, benefits, and travel, should be entered here in Section E. Other costs associated with trainees such as recruitment should not be entered in this section (see below “Section F. Other Direct Costs” for more information regarding this issue). 

Number of Participants/Trainees. Enter the number of participants/trainees. 

Total E. Participants/Trainee Support Costs. This total will auto calculate. 

Budget Sections F-L – Other Expenses 

F. Other Direct Costs. 

Enter all the information requested under the various cost categories. Enter the Federal dollars and, if applicable, the Non-Federal dollars. Use the narrative budget justification to further itemize and justify. 

Note: For training grants (84.305B and 84.324B), funds requested for training program activities such as recruitment of fellows, invited speakers, or workshops should be entered here. 

• Materials and Supplies. Enter the total funds requested for materials and supplies. In the narrative budget justification, indicate the general categories of supplies, including an amount for each category. Categories less than $1,000 are not required to be itemized.
• Publication Costs. Enter the total publication funds requested. The proposed budget may request funds for the costs of documenting, preparing, publishing or otherwise making available to others the findings and products of the work conducted under the award. In the narrative budget justification, include supporting information. IES encourages applicants to plan and budget for publication in open access journals.
• Consultant Services. Enter the total costs for all consultant services. In the narrative budget justification, identify each consultant, the services he or she will perform, total number of days, travel costs, and total estimated costs. Note: Travel costs for consultants can be included here or in Section D. Travel.
• ADP/Computer Services. Enter the total funds requested for ADP/computer services. The cost of computer services, including computer-based retrieval of scientific, technical, and education information may be requested. In the narrative budget justification, include the established computer service rates at the proposing organization if applicable.
• Subaward/Consortium/Contractual Costs. Enter the total funds requested for: (1) all subaward/consortium organization(s) proposed for the project and (2) any other contractual costs proposed for the project. Use the R&R Subaward Budget (Fed/Non-Fed) Attachment(s) Form to provide detailed subaward information.
• Equipment or Facility Rental/User Fees. Enter the total funds requested for equipment or facility rental/user fees. In the narrative budget justification, identify each rental user fee and justify.
• Alterations and Renovations. Leave this field blank. IES does not provide funds for construction costs.
• Other. Describe any other direct costs in the space provided and enter the total funds requested for this “Other” category of direct costs. Use the narrative budget justification to further itemize and justify. You may enter costs associated with recruiting or retaining research participants here. 

Total F. Other Direct Costs. This total will auto calculate. 

G. Direct Costs 

Total Direct Costs (A thru F). This total will auto calculate.

H. Indirect Costs

Enter all the information requested for Indirect Costs. This information is to be completed by the applicant’s Business Office. 

Indirect Cost Type. Indicate the type of base (for example Salary & Wages, Modified Total Direct Costs, Other [explain]). In addition, indicate if the indirect cost type is off-site. If more than one rate/base is involved, use separate lines for each. When calculating your expenses for research conducted in field settings, apply your institution’s negotiated off-campus indirect cost rate according to the terms of your institution’s negotiated agreement with the federal government. 

• Institutions, both primary grantees and subawardees, not located in the territorial United States cannot charge indirect costs.
• If your grant application is selected for an award, IES will request a copy of the applicant institution's approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement.
• If you do not have a current indirect rate(s) approved by a federal agency, indicate “None--will negotiate.” You may also use a de minimis rate of up to 15 percent of modified total direct costs if your institution does not have a current negotiated rate (see 2 CFR 200.414 https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/subtitle-A/chapter-II/part-200/subpart-E/subject-group-ECFRd93f2a98b1f6455/section-200.414 for more information). This de minimis rate may be used indefinitely and no documentation is required to justify its use. 

Indirect Cost Rate (%). Indicate the most recent indirect cost rate(s) (also known as Facilities & Administrative Costs [F&A]) established with the cognizant federal office, or in the case of for-profit organizations, the rate(s) established with the appropriate agency. If your institution has a cognizant/oversight agency and your application is selected for an award, you must submit the indirect cost rate proposal to that cognizant/oversight agency office for approval. 

Indirect Cost Base ($). Enter the amount of the base (dollars) for each indirect cost type. Depending on the grant program to which you are applying and/or the applicant institution's approved Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, some direct cost budget categories in the grant application budget may not be included in the base and multiplied by the indirect cost rate. Use the narrative budget justification to explain which costs are included and which costs are excluded from the base to which the indirect cost rate is applied. 

Indirect Cost Funds Requested. Enter the funds requested (federal dollars and, if applicable, non federal dollars) for each indirect cost type. 

Total H. Indirect Costs. This total will auto calculate. 

Cognizant Agency. Enter the name of the federal agency responsible for approving the indirect cost rate(s) for the applicant. Enter the name and telephone number of the individual responsible for negotiating the indirect cost rate. If a Cognizant Agency is not known, enter “None.” 

I. Total Direct and Indirect Costs 

Total Direct and Indirect Costs (G + H). 

This total will auto calculate. IES sets maximum award amounts by competition, topic, and project type. Make sure that the total costs requested do not exceed the Cost Maximums for your project (see the RFA; https://ies.ed.gov/funding/grants). 

J. Fee 

Do not enter a dollar amount here as you are not allowed to charge a fee on a grant or cooperative agreement.

K. Total Costs and Fee 

Total Costs and Fee (I + J). This total will auto calculate. 

L. Budget Justification 

Attach the Narrative Budget Justification as a PDF file at Section L of the first budget period. If the justification is not attached at Section L of the first budget period, you will not be able to access the form for the second budget period and all subsequent budget periods. The single narrative must provide a budget justification for each year of the entire project. 

A Narrative Budget Justification must be submitted for the project budget. If the proposed project includes subawards, submit a separate Narrative Budget Justification for each subaward budget included in the application. Each Narrative Budget Justification should provide enough detail to allow reviewers to judge whether reasonable costs have been attributed to the project and its subawards, if applicable. The budget justification should correspond to the itemized breakdown of project costs that is provided in the corresponding Research & Related Budget (SF 424) Sections A & B; C, D, & E; and F-L form for each year of the project. The narrative should include the time commitments for key personnel expressed as annual percent effort calculated over a 12-month period and brief descriptions of the responsibilities of key personnel. For consultants, the narrative should include the number of days of anticipated consultation, the expected rate of compensation, travel, per diem, and other related costs. A justification for equipment purchases, supplies, travel (including information regarding number of days of travel, mode of transportation, per diem rates, number of travelers), and other related project costs should also be provided in the budget narrative for each project year outlined in the Research & Related Budget (SF 424). 

Cumulative Budget 

This section will auto calculate all cost categories for all budget periods included. 

7. R&R Subaward Budget (Fed/Non-Fed) Attachment(s) Form 

This form is used to submit a Research & Related Budget (Total Federal+Non-Federal)-Sections A & B; C, D, & E; F-L for each institution that will hold a subaward on the grant. 

The R&R Subaward Budget (Fed/Non-Fed) Attachment(s) form is referred to as a “parent” form within the workspace environment because multiple subforms can be created within this form. In the list of forms to be included in the application, “Go to Subforms” directly below the subaward form name. Click on “Add Subform Row” and enter a name for the subform. We recommend using the institution’s name as part of the subform name and click “Save”. Next, open the webform and complete the R&R Budget (SF 424) for the subaward institution. Each institution that will hold a subaward to perform a substantive portion of the project must complete one of these subforms and save it as a PDF file with a unique name for inclusion in this parent form. 

D. Other Forms in the Application Package 

You must submit the Grants.gov Lobbying form. You are not required to submit the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities – Standard Form LLL unless it applies to your situation (see title 31 U.S.C. section 1352 for additional information).

Application Checklist

Date last updated: July 30, 2026