Opportunity Information: Apply for DOL OESE 33844
The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund (TSL), CFDA 84.374 (opportunity number DOL OESE 33844), is a discretionary grant competition that supports the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program administered by the U.S. Department of Education, with the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration soliciting applications on ED's behalf. The core aim is to help public education systems and eligible partners build or strengthen educator pay and talent systems that are explicitly tied to improving student outcomes, especially in schools with the greatest needs. The program is geared toward practical, system-level changes in how educators are recruited, supported, evaluated, developed, and compensated, with a strong emphasis on raising student growth and academic achievement, improving workforce readiness, and narrowing persistent achievement gaps between higher- and lower-performing students.
Program funds are intended to help applicants develop, implement, improve, or expand comprehensive performance-based compensation systems (PBCS) or broader human capital management systems (HCMS) for teachers, principals, and other school leaders. In practice, that can mean designing or scaling compensation and career structures that reward effectiveness, creating pathways and roles that retain strong educators in high-need schools, and building the operational infrastructure needed to run these systems well (for example, aligned evaluation measures, training for evaluators, data systems, and consistent implementation supports). A notable feature of this opportunity is that it also allows a portion of grant funds to be used for studying and testing the systems being implemented, specifically examining their effectiveness and their integrity, including fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability. This signals that applicants are expected not only to implement new approaches but to show that those approaches are credible, defensible, and producing results.
Eligibility is relatively broad but structured. Applicants may apply as a local educational agency (LEA), including a charter school that qualifies as an LEA, or as a consortium of LEAs. State educational agencies (SEAs) are eligible, as are other state agencies formally designated by a governor or chief executive to participate. The Bureau of Indian Education is also eligible, and for the purposes of this program, schools funded by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education are treated as LEAs under ESEA section 8101(30)(C). In addition, partnerships may apply, but the partnership must include at least one eligible public agency (an LEA/consortium, an SEA/designated state agency, or BIE) and at least one nonprofit or for-profit entity. Partnerships are not informal arrangements; they must follow the federal group application procedures at 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129 and submit a written agreement that spells out each partner's activities and makes every member responsible for the commitments and assurances in the application.
The competition includes competitive preference points, which can increase an application's score during peer review. Reviewers will award preference points to projects carried out by SEA grantees, reflecting a policy interest in empowering states to address educator and student needs with statewide leverage. Applicants may also earn preference points for proposals designed to advance meaningful learning, particularly those that use high-quality, proven interventions expected to directly improve student learning outcomes. In other words, the program is not only interested in compensation or HR redesign in the abstract; it is looking for credible strategies that connect educator incentives and management practices to measurable improvements in classroom learning.
There are also important participation limits and administrative details that shape how applicants should plan. Under ESEA section 2212(b)(3), an LEA may receive a TSL grant only twice, whether applying alone, in a consortium, or as part of a partnership, so districts that have already received two awards under this program are not eligible for additional grants. The posted closing date for this opportunity is June 9, 2026, and the notice anticipates around 20 awards. The listing does not specify an award ceiling (shown as 0), which typically means applicants need to rely on the official notice of funding opportunity for exact funding ranges, budgets, and any constraints, but the expectation is a competitive national grant process with multiple awards.
Overall, this opportunity is best understood as funding for modernization and improvement of educator compensation and talent systems, with a priority on high-need settings and on approaches that are evidence-informed and measurable. Strong applicants will generally be those that can clearly describe how their PBCS or HCMS will operate day to day, how it will be implemented consistently and fairly across schools, how it will support and retain effective educators and leaders, and how success will be evaluated through student growth and achievement metrics as well as through checks on fairness and reliability of the underlying measures.Apply for DOL OESE 33844
- The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education in the employment, labor and training sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund 84.374A" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.374.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-04-08.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-06-09. (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 20 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Others.
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Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund (TSL) - FAQs
What is the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund (TSL)?
The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Fund (TSL), CFDA 84.374 (opportunity number DOL OESE 33844), is a discretionary grant competition that supports the Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED). Applications are solicited by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration on ED's behalf.
What is the main goal of this grant opportunity?
The core aim is to help public education systems and eligible partners build or strengthen educator pay and talent systems that are explicitly tied to improving student outcomes, especially in schools with the greatest needs. The program emphasizes student growth and academic achievement, workforce readiness, and narrowing persistent achievement gaps between higher- and lower-performing students.
What types of systems does the grant support?
Program funds are intended to help applicants develop, implement, improve, or expand comprehensive performance-based compensation systems (PBCS) or broader human capital management systems (HCMS) for teachers, principals, and other school leaders.
What is a performance-based compensation system (PBCS) in the context of this program?
In this program, a PBCS generally refers to compensation and career structures that reward educator effectiveness and are designed to connect educator incentives to improved student outcomes. This may include designing or scaling compensation approaches and career pathways that retain strong educators in high-need schools.
What is a human capital management system (HCMS) in the context of this program?
In this program, an HCMS refers to broader, system-level approaches to how educators are recruited, supported, evaluated, developed, and compensated, with the goal of strengthening educator quality and improving student outcomes.
What kinds of activities can grant funds support?
Funds can support the design, implementation, improvement, or expansion of educator pay and talent systems, including operational infrastructure needed for strong implementation. Examples mentioned include aligned evaluation measures, training for evaluators, data systems, and consistent implementation supports.
Does this opportunity support evaluation or research activities?
Yes. A notable feature is that a portion of grant funds may be used for studying and testing the systems being implemented. This includes examining effectiveness and integrity, including fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability.
What does the program mean by checking the "integrity" of implemented systems?
Based on the description, integrity refers to whether the underlying measures and implementation are fair, high-quality, consistent, and reliable. The program signals that applicants are expected to show that new approaches are credible, defensible, and producing results.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility includes: local educational agencies (LEAs), including charter schools that qualify as LEAs; consortia of LEAs; state educational agencies (SEAs); other state agencies formally designated by a governor or chief executive; the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE); and certain partnerships that meet the program's requirements.
Can a charter school apply?
Yes, a charter school may apply if it qualifies as an LEA.
Can multiple districts apply together?
Yes. A consortium of LEAs is eligible to apply.
Are state-level entities eligible?
Yes. SEAs are eligible, and other state agencies are eligible if they are formally designated by a governor or chief executive to participate.
How does the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) fit into eligibility?
The Bureau of Indian Education is eligible. In addition, for purposes of this program, schools funded by the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Education are treated as LEAs under ESEA section 8101(30)(C).
Can a partnership apply, and what are the partnership requirements?
Yes, partnerships may apply, but they must be structured. The partnership must include at least one eligible public agency (an LEA/consortium, an SEA/designated state agency, or BIE) and at least one nonprofit or for-profit entity.
Are informal partnerships allowed?
No. Partnerships must follow federal group application procedures at 34 CFR 75.127 through 75.129 and must submit a written agreement that specifies each partner's activities and makes every member responsible for the commitments and assurances in the application.
What must be included in the partnership written agreement?
The agreement must spell out each partner's activities, and it must make every member responsible for the commitments and assurances included in the application.
Are there competitive preference points?
Yes. The competition includes competitive preference points that can increase an application's score during peer review.
What projects can receive competitive preference points?
Preference points are awarded to projects carried out by SEA grantees. Applicants may also earn preference points for proposals designed to advance meaningful learning, particularly those using high-quality, proven interventions expected to directly improve student learning outcomes.
What does "advance meaningful learning" imply for proposals?
As described, it points to proposals that go beyond compensation or HR redesign alone and that use high-quality, proven interventions expected to directly improve student learning outcomes.
Are there limits on how many times an LEA can receive a TSL grant?
Yes. Under ESEA section 2212(b)(3), an LEA may receive a TSL grant only twice, whether applying alone, in a consortium, or as part of a partnership. LEAs that have already received two awards under this program are not eligible for additional TSL grants.
What is the application deadline?
The posted closing date for this opportunity is June 9, 2026.
How many awards are expected?
The notice anticipates around 20 awards.
Is there an award ceiling listed?
The listing does not specify an award ceiling (shown as 0). This typically means applicants should rely on the official notice of funding opportunity for exact funding ranges, budgets, and any constraints.
What kinds of applicants are likely to be competitive based on the description?
Strong applicants will generally be those that clearly describe how their PBCS or HCMS will operate day to day, how it will be implemented consistently and fairly across schools, how it will support and retain effective educators and leaders (especially in high-need schools), and how success will be evaluated using student growth and achievement metrics as well as checks on fairness and reliability of the underlying measures.
Does this grant focus on high-need schools?
Yes. The opportunity highlights improving student outcomes especially in schools with the greatest needs, including efforts to retain strong educators in high-need schools and to narrow persistent achievement gaps.
What outcomes does the program emphasize?
The program emphasizes raising student growth and academic achievement, improving workforce readiness, and narrowing persistent achievement gaps between higher- and lower-performing students.
Who administers the program, and who solicits applications?
The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, and the U.S. Department of Labor's Employment and Training Administration solicits applications on ED's behalf for this opportunity.
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