Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA): National Professional Development (NPD) Program CFDA Number 84.365Z | ED GRANTS 022117 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 022117 001

The Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA) National Professional Development (NPD) Program, CFDA 84.365Z, is a U.S. Department of Education discretionary grant competition designed to strengthen how schools serve English learners (ELs) by investing in high-quality professional development. Authorized under section 3131(c)(1)(C) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 as updated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), the program funds projects for up to five years. The central aim is to improve classroom instruction for ELs by helping the educators and support staff who work with them reach strong professional standards, including meeting teacher certification and licensure expectations for those who teach in language instruction educational programs or otherwise serve ELs.

A key feature of the NPD program is that applicants must apply as a consortium. Eligible lead applicants include institutions of higher education (IHEs) as well as public or private entities that can demonstrate relevant experience and capacity, but they must partner in a consortium with either a State educational agency (SEA) or a local educational agency (LEA). This consortium structure is meant to connect preparation and training expertise (often housed in universities or specialized organizations) with the real-world needs, data, staffing realities, and implementation settings of states and districts, so that professional learning is not theoretical but directly improves instruction and outcomes for ELs.

Grant funds can support a fairly broad set of activities as long as they are tied to improving educator effectiveness for EL instruction and ultimately raising EL academic achievement. Allowable uses include building or expanding effective pre-service and in-service professional development programs that upgrade the qualifications and skills of personnel involved in educating ELs. This explicitly includes staff who are not yet certified or licensed, as well as educational paraprofessionals, and it can also include activities aimed at improving the effectiveness of teachers and school leaders in meeting EL needs. Funds may also be used to develop program curricula tailored to consortium participants, which can mean coursework, training modules, coaching models, or other structured learning experiences aligned to local contexts and licensure pathways.

Beyond training and coursework, the program supports strategies to strengthen parent, family, and community engagement for EL education. This reflects the idea that EL progress depends not only on what happens in classrooms but also on meaningful school-home partnerships, accessible communication, and community-connected supports. The NPD program also encourages projects that develop, share, and disseminate effective practices for EL instruction and for boosting EL academic achievement, including technology-based programs. In practice, that could involve creating and spreading evidence-based instructional routines, building demonstration sites, producing professional learning resources, or using technology to support language development and content learning.

The program also allows, in coordination with other federal need-based student financial aid programs, certain forms of financial assistance for participants pursuing required coursework to earn degrees or complete certification/licensure requirements for serving ELs. This can cover costs such as tuition, fees, and books for courses required to complete the relevant degree and meet certification or licensing requirements. In addition, where appropriate, NPD funds may support strategies that promote school readiness for young ELs and improve transitions from early childhood programs (including Head Start and state preschool) into elementary school, recognizing that early language and literacy supports and smooth transitions can have long-term effects on student success.

From an application and administrative standpoint, proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov rather than by email. Applicants locate the application package by searching the CFDA number without the letter suffix (search 84.365, not 84.365Z). The published synopsis emphasizes that the Federal Register notice is the controlling document for full details, including priorities, performance measures, submission requirements, and program contacts. In the specific competition data provided, the opportunity number is ED GRANTS 022117 001, the agency is the Department of Education, the opportunity was posted on 2017-02-21, and the original closing date listed was 2017-04-24. The anticipated number of awards was 44, and while an award ceiling field is present in the source data, no dollar amount is shown in the text provided.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA): National Professional Development (NPD) Program CFDA Number 84.365Z" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.365.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-02-21.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-04-24. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 44 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 022117 001

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