Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Education Opportunity Centers (EOC) Program Assistance Listing Number 84.066A | ED GRANTS 011321 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 011321 001

The Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) Education Opportunity Centers (EOC) Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.066A, is a discretionary grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of Education. The program is designed to help qualified individuals who want to start or continue a postsecondary education pathway by giving them practical, hands-on guidance about academic options and financial support. In plain terms, EOC projects function as outreach and advising hubs that connect people to college and career training opportunities and help them navigate the steps required to enroll and persist.

The core purpose of the EOC Program is threefold. First, it provides information about financial and academic assistance that may be available to prospective or current postsecondary students, which can include explaining aid options, outlining program choices, and clarifying eligibility requirements and deadlines. Second, it offers direct assistance with applying for admission to postsecondary institutions, including help preparing the applications and related materials that admissions and financial aid offices typically require. Third, it aims to improve participants financial and economic literacy, recognizing that understanding budgeting, borrowing, and basic financial decision-making can be a major factor in whether students can realistically enter and complete education after high school.

This opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 011321 001) uses a grant funding instrument and falls under the education funding activity category. Eligibility is broad and includes multiple types of public and private entities: state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status; nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (that are not institutions of higher education); and other applicants as clarified in the official notice. This range signals that the Department anticipates EOC services being delivered through many different local structures, such as colleges, community-based nonprofits, or government-linked education agencies, depending on what makes sense for a region.

The notice indicates that the application materials were available beginning January 13, 2021, with a deadline to submit applications by March 1, 2021. It also lists an intergovernmental review deadline of April 28, 2021, which is relevant for jurisdictions that participate in that coordination process. The opportunity anticipated around 140 awards, and the listed award ceiling was $1,280,000, giving a sense of the maximum size an individual grant could reach under this competition.

Because the text provided is explicitly a synopsis of what appears in the Federal Register, the official application notice is the controlling document for full requirements. That official notice is where applicants would find the complete eligibility rules, submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, selection criteria, and program contacts. The synopsis also points applicants to the Department of Educations Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published February 13, 2019, 84 FR 3768) for standardized guidance on obtaining and submitting an application, which typically covers formats, registrations, and other procedural steps.

For questions, the listed federal contact for this competition was Rachael Wiley, Ed.D., at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, DC, reachable by phone at (202) 453-6078 or by email at Rachael.Wiley@ed.gov.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE): Education Opportunity Centers (EOC) Program Assistance Listing Number 84.066A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.066.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 13, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 01, 2021 Applications Available January 13, 2021. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications March 1, 2021. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review April 28, 2021. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Rachael Wiley Ed.D, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 271-24, Washington, DC 20202-4260. Telephone (202) 453-6078. Email Rachael.Wiley@ed.gov.. (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 $1,280,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 140 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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