The Grants Policy Office works with offices across the Department to advance the Secretary's policy priorities, including evidence-based practices — where the Department and the field can continuously improve by building stronger evidence, making decisions based on a clear understanding of the available evidence, and disseminating evidence to decision makers. Specific activities include:
- Strengthening the connection between the Secretary's policies and grant implementation throughout the process, from design through evaluation, including monitoring activities and continuation decisions.
- Leading collaboration to develop policy for discretionary grant programs in alignment with the Secretary’s priorities, encompassing approaches to building and using evidence, and enhancing the reach of grants through developing clear notices and a strategy to reach more new applicants.
- Helping grant-making offices forecast and implement timely and efficient grant competitions so that grant awards are made as early as possible and in alignment with the timing to best support grant recipients.
- Supporting a culture of evidence-based practices, including providing guidance to grant-making offices on how to integrate evidence into program design and identifying opportunities where the Department and the field can improve by building, understanding, and using evidence.
- Working with offices across the Department to shape the Department's relationships with State Educational Agencies (SEAs), Local Educational Agencies (LEAs), Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), and other stakeholders to improve the applicant and grantee experience, minimize federal burdens, and encourage needed innovation and experimentation.
- Developing and providing training to staff in grant-making offices in collaboration with the Office of Grants Management in OFO.
[1] The Budget Execution and Administrative Analysis Division has primary responsibility for any administrative appropriations (i.e., programs) within other accounts such as Institute of Education Sciences Program Administration, National Assessment Governing Board, and HBCU Capital Financing Administration.