Secretary’s Supplemental Priorities: Discretionary Grant Competitions

For more information about these priorities, please review Frequently Asked Questions: The Returning Education to the States Priority, as well as the Federal Register Notice below: 

• Final Priorities and Definitions: Secretary's Supplemental Priorities and Definitions on Evidence-Based Literacy, Education Choice, and Returning Education to the States (90 FR 43514) (Published in the Federal Register on September 9, 2025)
  • Note: This Notice establishes three priorities:
    • Promoting Evidence-Based Literacy
    • Expanding Education Choice
    • Returning Education to the States

For more information about this priority, please review the Federal Register Notice: 

• Final Priority and Definitions: Secretary's Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Meaningful Learning Opportunities (91 FR 6625) (Published in the Federal Register on February 12, 2026)

For more information about this priority, please review the Federal Register Notice: 

• Final Priority and Definitions: Secretary's Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Career Pathways and Workforce Readiness (91 FR 18780) (Published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2026)

For more information about this priority, please review the Federal Register Notice:

• Final Priority and Definitions: Secretary's Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Advancing Artificial Intelligence in Education (91 FR 18774) (Published in the Federal Register on April 13, 2026)

For more information about this priority, please review the Federal Register Notice:

• Final Priority and Definitions: Secretary’s Supplemental Priority and Definitions on Promoting Patriotic Education (91 FR 30291) (Published in the Federal Register on May 22, 2026)

On September 9, 2025, ED published in the Federal Register a Notice of Final Priority and Definitions (90 FR 43514) that established the Returning Education to the States (RES) priority for use in any ED discretionary grant program.

The priority is as follows:

Returning Education to the States: Projects or proposals that will be carried out by one or more of the following:

(a) State educational agencies (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801(49)),

(b) Governors,

(c) State workforce development agencies or boards,

(d) State vocational rehabilitation agencies,

(e) State higher education agencies (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1003(22)),

(f) Entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a Governor or chief State education official for purposes of implementing the project or proposal,

(g) An Indian Tribe (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304(e)), Tribal organization (as defined in 25 U.S.C. 5304(l)), or Tribal educational agency (as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7452(b)(3)), or

(h) Consortia of the entities identified under this priority.

The RES priority gives ED the ability to prioritize state-level entities and tribes in ED’s competitive grant programs where state-level entities or tribes are already eligible applicants, and allows ED to encourage state-level or state-coordinated projects where states are not themselves the eligible applicants, via identification, designation, or endorsement.

One aspect of the RES priority allows for “projects or proposals that will be carried out by … entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a governor or chief state education official, for purposes of implementing the project or proposal.” ED is sharing these FAQs to help applicants better understand how they can ensure that their projects or proposals meet this factor of the priority, for individual competitions where this factor within the RES priority is used.

In order to demonstrate that an application meets the priority, applicants must include specific evidence that a governor or chief state education official has identified, designated, or endorsed the project. Examples that could be included in applications at the time of submission to meet this requirement include, but are not limited to:

• A signed letter, on official letterhead from the governor or chief state education official;
• An email from the governor or chief state education official.

When a governor or chief state education official identifies, designates, or endorses an eligible applicant’s project or proposal, they should clearly state that they are identifying, designating, or endorsing the application as one they support for consideration of grant funds under the specific competition. Applicants within a state could have either their governor or a chief state education official provide the identification, designation, or endorsement.

Please note that if ED is unable to clearly determine an identification, designation, or endorsement by a governor or chief state education official based on the material submitted by the applicant on or before the application deadline date, ED may conclude the application does not meet the priority.

The terms represent the options available for how a governor or chief state education official can express support for an eligible applicant’s project. They are intended to account for and accommodate the different authorities and structures that exist across states.

If a governor or chief state education official identifies, designates, or endorses an entity that is not an eligible applicant, ED will not be able to fund the application. To receive an award and to be considered for an absolute priority or any competitive preference points, entities must be considered eligible applicants in accordance with the authorizing statute or regulation.

Generally, this term refers to the individual who holds the primary responsibility for overseeing the state’s education system. In most states, this position is held by the state superintendent of education, the commissioner of education, the superintendent of public instruction, or the state secretary of education.

The chief state education official varies by state, based on each state’s education governance structure. Each applicant should refer to the state-level reporting structures in their state to determine who would be considered the chief state education official. 

No.  A governor or chief state education official may not delegate the responsibility of identifying, designating, or endorsing applications for purposes of this priority. 

Yes, unless otherwise specified in the Application Notice and Instructions (ANI) a governor or chief state education official may identify, designate, or endorse more than one application for a competition. However, there may be some competitions in which ED will accept only one application per state. This restriction will be noted in the ANI for these competitions, and the Governor or chief state education official must only identify, designate, or endorse one application for the state.

The priority requires that, in order to meet the priority, projects or proposals must be carried out by “entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a Governor or chief State education official for purposes of implementing the project or proposal.” 

The evidence of “identification, designation, or endorsement” should clearly indicate support for the entities that will carry out the project or proposal. We encourage consortium applications under 34 CFR 75.127-75.128 to provide evidence that the governor or chief state education official identifies, designates, or endorses the consortium, or the lead applicant who will be responsible for carrying out the project or proposal. A governor or chief state education official may also identify, designate, or endorse any individual members of the consortium who will be responsible for carrying out the project or proposal.

Consistent with the requirement that projects or proposals must be carried out by “entities identified, designated, or endorsed by a Governor or chief State education official” – the endorsement of a governor or chief state education official may not be for an entity that will merely receive a subgrant under a proposed application. A subgrantee would not be determined to ultimately carry out or implement a project or activity.

Please note that if ED is unable to clearly determine an “identification, designation, or endorsement” by a governor or chief state education official based on the material submitted by the applicant on or before the application deadline date, ED may conclude the application does not meet the priority.

Every eligible applicant who the governor or chief state education official properly identifies, designates, or endorses, will receive the total number of competitive preference points available for the priority. A competition’s ANI will provide details on the point distribution within the priority. For example, if the ANI says that a competitive preference priority can be scored at 0 or 10 points, an application will receive 0 points if they do not meet the criteria of the priority, or 10 points if they do meet the criteria. Any other structure will be clearly indicated in the ANI.