Deadline Date: June 9, 2026
The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program is a U.S. Department of Education initiative supporting education agencies and partners to improve educator performance systems and enhance student outcomes.
The program focuses on developing, implementing, improving, or expanding performance-based compensation systems and human capital management systems for teachers, principals, and other school leaders, particularly in high-need schools, with the aim of increasing student academic growth and achievement, strengthening workforce readiness, closing achievement gaps between high- and low-performing students, and studying the effectiveness, fairness, quality, consistency, and reliability of such systems.
The program is guided by Absolute Priority 1 and Absolute Priority 2, which together determine eligibility for consideration, and includes Competitive Preference Priority 1 emphasizing evidence-based literacy, education choice, and returning education to the states, and Competitive Preference Priority 2 focused on meaningful learning opportunities, with applicants eligible to earn up to additional competitive points based on alignment with these priorities.
The Teacher and School Leader Incentive Program is administered through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education and is open to eligible applicants including State educational agencies, local educational agencies, charter schools acting as LEAs, the Bureau of Indian Education, or partnerships involving these entities in collaboration with nonprofit or for-profit organizations. Selected projects are designed to strengthen educator effectiveness through structured compensation and management reforms that reward measurable improvements in teaching and leadership outcomes while supporting broader school improvement goals.
Grant awards under the program range from approximately $500,000 to $8.5 million, with an average award size of around $4.3 million over a project period of up to 36 months, and an estimated 20 awards expected under the competition, with applications due by June 9, 2026. Funding decisions are competitive and may include additional awards in subsequent years from unfunded applications, depending on program availability and selection criteria.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
