K-12 Education Request for Proposals (RFP) (North Carolina Collaboratory)

K-12 Education Request for Proposals (RFP) (North Carolina Collaboratory) is sponsored by North Carolina Collaboratory's Office of Learning Research. Invites North Carolina higher education institutions to submit research proposals addressing pressing K-12 education challenges, with a focus on K-5 literacy interventions, family engagement, grades 4-8 math practices, and school safety and discipline.

Priorities in K-12 Education 2026 - North Carolina Collaboratory The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Priorities in K-12 Education 2026 Opportunity Closed on July 31, 2026 Contact: collaboratory@unc.

edu The NC Collaboratory is requesting proposals from faculty at universities in North Carolina to study high-priority topics in K-12 education affecting students, teachers and communities throughout the State.

Priority will be given to projects that focus on one or more of the following topic areas: Impacts of Literacy Interventions (Grades K-5) Math Practices and Policies (Grades 4-8) School Safety and Discipline Please see the Request for Proposals (Description and Instructions) below for more information on the funding opportunity. A webinar was hosted on May 19 to discuss this funding opportunity.

Request for Proposals (Description and Instructions) Frequently Asked Questions Application deadline: July 31, 2026, 5 p. m. ET Earliest project start date: October 1, 2026 Anticipated project duration: 18-36 months Anticipated range of funding request per study: $150,000-$400,000 Who is eligible to apply?

Principal investigators from institution of higher education within North Carolina are eligible to apply. Is this a limited submission opportunity? No, there are no limitations on the number of applications that may be submitted from any eligible institution or principal investigator.

Are indirect costs allowed? No. As set forth in NCGS 116-255(c)(2), requests for indirect (F&A) costs are not permitted. If written documentation is required for this indirect cost restriction, please email collaboratory@unc.

edu . Is an Authorized Organizational Representative signature required for submission? For UNC-Chapel Hill proposals only, an Authorized Organizational Representative signature is not mandatory – a department-level signature is sufficient.

Non-UNC-Chapel Hill applicants should follow their institution’s policies and procedures for signature requirements. Are sub-awards/partnerships with entities that are not based in North Carolina allowed? Yes.

Applicants should clearly describe how this project and partnership with a potential subrecipient would address the purpose of this funding. Can funds be used to pay for interventions (e.g., to hire staff to implement an intervention, to pay for materials)? The Collaboratory prioritizes funding research activities, rather than interventions and associated research.

Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis. Please reach out to collaboratory@unc. edu with specific questions.

Are there a minimum number of partners (e.g. school districts) required to participate in each study? No, there is no minimum. We expect the appropriate number of partners and type of partnerships to vary based on research topic and scope.

Will projects that focus on populations outside of K-12 (e.g., Pre-K students, college students) be considered for funding? OLR is legislatively directed to focus research on elementary and secondary education, so K-12 students must be the primary focus of the research. When will funding decisions be announced, and how many awards will be funded?

An update on funding decisions will be provided by August 31, 2026. The number of awards funded will depend on the scope of proposed awards (budget and timeline) and priorities contained in the forthcoming NC General Assembly budget for FY2026-2027. Are letters of support from practitioner partners (e.g., school districts) required as part of the application?

Letters of support from research partners are not required. However, we highly recommend them. We think it’s critical to the success of the study to have input from partners as the project plan is being developed.

In general, the Collaboratory aims to prioritize projects that have partner buy-in at the time of proposal submission over those describing future or potential partnerships.