Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Office of Indian Education (OIE): Indian Education Discretionary Grants Program: Professional Development Program (PD)--Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) 84.299B | ED GRANTS 011725 004

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 011725 004

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE), through the Office of Indian Education (OIE), is offering funding under the Indian Education Discretionary Grants Program: Professional Development (PD) Program, specifically the Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI), Assistance Listing Number 84.299B. This is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education intended to strengthen the educator workforce serving Native students by both building professional skills and putting in place practical, sustainable retention strategies for effective educators working with Indian children and youth, particularly those who are low-achieving and need strong academic supports to improve outcomes and be better prepared for college and careers.

The core purpose of the competition is twofold. First, it aims to improve the skills of qualified Indian individuals who serve in the education field, which generally points to professional learning, training, and development activities designed to strengthen instruction and leadership in schools serving Native students. Second, and more specifically tied to NATRI, it supports the development and implementation of initiatives that promote retention of effective teachers, principals, and other school leaders who have demonstrated success improving achievement and outcomes for low-achieving Indian students. In other words, the program is not only about preparing or training educators; it is also about keeping strong educators and leaders in place, reducing turnover, and stabilizing school staffing in ways that directly benefit Native students academically and in their postsecondary and employment readiness.

Eligibility is focused on partnerships that connect educational systems with higher education capacity, and it allows applicants to apply either as a single eligible entity or as part of a consortium. Eligible applicants include: (1) an institution of higher education (IHE) or a Tribal College or University (TCU); (2) a State educational agency (SEA) when applying in consortium with an IHE or TCU; (3) a local educational agency (LEA) when applying in consortium with an IHE or TCU; (4) an Indian tribe or Indian organization when applying in consortium with an IHE or TCU; and (5) a Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded school applying in consortium with at least one TCU, where feasible. The listing of eligible applicant types also indicates that a broad range of government entities and education organizations may be able to participate, but the notice makes clear that certain applicants (such as SEAs, LEAs, tribes, and Indian organizations) generally need the consortium relationship with an IHE or TCU to qualify.

From a funding perspective, the opportunity is structured as a grant with an award ceiling of $500,000, and the Department expects to make about 29 awards. The opportunity number is ED GRANTS 011725 004, and the application closing date is April 28, 2025. Because this synopsis is not the full legal notice, applicants are directed to rely on the official Federal Register application notice for the complete requirements, including any priorities that affect competitiveness, pre-application steps, how to submit, required components of the narrative and budget, and the specific performance measures that grantees must track and report. The notice also points applicants to the Department of Education Revised Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published December 23, 2024) for standardized directions on obtaining and submitting an application, which typically cover formatting, submission procedures, and other governmentwide or departmentwide application rules.

Overall, this NATRI competition is geared toward building and keeping a strong, effective educator pipeline for schools serving Native students by pairing professional development with retention-focused strategies, backed by partnerships that include institutions of higher education and, where applicable, Tribal Colleges and Universities. For anyone considering applying, the Federal Register notice is essential, since it contains the binding eligibility conditions, selection criteria, required activities and deliverables, reporting expectations, and the exact instructions that will determine whether an application is considered complete and responsive.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Office of Indian Education (OIE): Indian Education Discretionary Grants Program: Professional Development Program (PD)--Native American Teacher Retention Initiative (NATRI) 84.299B" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.299.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-01-17.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-04-28. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 29 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 011725 004

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