On May 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods program competition.
Program Overview
A Promise Neighborhood is a place-based, collective impact approach to improving results for children and families. The transformative vision of the Promise Neighborhoods initiative is that all children and youth growing up in Promise Neighborhoods have access to great schools and strong systems of family and community support.
Promise Neighborhoods weave together people, services, and organizations to create a seamless cradle-to-career pipeline, along which community members have access to high-quality early care and education, smooth and effective transition to kindergarten, excellent K-12 schools, and pathways to achieve postsecondary and career success.
A Promise Neighborhood is particularly capable of addressing issues that worsened during the pandemic, such as chronic absenteeism and community violence, due to three key characteristics:
- A strong backbone organization to support families, which can take years to build;
- Flexible funding targeted for year-round K-12 interventions; and
- Networks of partnerships that draw on the internal resources of the community, such as local organizers, trusted elders, and youth leaders, to guide services to those who need them most.
FY 2026 Applicant Information
Notice of Intent to Apply
Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the Department of their intent to apply for funding under the Promise Neighborhoods competition. Submitting a Notice of Intent is not binding and does not obligate the applicant to submit an application.
Please send an email to PromiseNeighborhoods@ed.gov including:
- The name of the lead applicant
- The neighborhood(s) to be served
- The names of key partners in the proposed project
Requested deadline for the Notice of Intent to Apply: June 22, 2026.
Pre-Application Webinars
Promise Neighborhoods staff will post informational presentations and webinar recordings following the live events to help potential applicants revisit information on the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods (84.215N) Application Notice and Instructions.
Promise Neighborhoods Nuts and Bolts Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Nuts and Bolts Webinar Slides (May 18, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Nuts and Bolts Webinar Recording (May 18, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods 101 Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: 101 Webinar Slides (May 18, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: 101 Webinar Recording (May 18, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods Data Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Data Webinar Slides (June 1, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Data Webinar Recording (June 1, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods 2026 Competition Budget Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Budget Webinar Slides (June 4, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Budget Webinar Recording (June 4, 2026)
Eligibility
Who May Apply
Under section 4622 of the ESEA, an eligible entity must be one of the following:
- An institution of higher education (IHE), as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1002);
- An Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); or
- One or more nonprofit entities working in formal partnership with not less than one of the following entities:
- A high-need local educational agency (LEA).
- An IHE, as defined in section 102 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1002).
- The office of a chief elected official of a unit of local government.
- An Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined under section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
Please consult the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods (84.215N) Application Notice and Instructions for complete eligibility requirements.
Funding
Included in the chart below is the amount of funding per fiscal year since 2021.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Total Funding |
|---|---|
| FY 2025* | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2024 | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2023 | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2022 | $85,000,000 |
| FY 2021 | $81,000,000 |
*Amount proposed in President's FY25 Budget Request.
Legislation
Regulations
Previous Competitions
To learn more about previous Promise Neighborhood grant competitions, please visit the archived pages below.
FY 2024 Promise Neighborhoods Competition (Archived)
On May 8, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods program competition.
Program Overview
A Promise Neighborhood is a place-based, collective impact approach to improving results for children and families. The transformative vision of the Promise Neighborhoods initiative is that all children and youth growing up in Promise Neighborhoods have access to great schools and strong systems of family and community support.
Promise Neighborhoods weave together people, services, and organizations to create a seamless cradle-to-career pipeline, along which community members have access to high-quality early care and education, smooth and effective transition to kindergarten, excellent K-12 schools, and pathways to achieve postsecondary and career success.
A Promise Neighborhood is particularly capable of addressing issues that worsened during the pandemic, such as chronic absenteeism and community violence, due to three key characteristics:
- A strong backbone organization to support families, which can take years to build;
- Flexible funding targeted for year-round K-12 interventions; and
- Networks of partnerships that draw on the internal resources of the community, such as local organizers, trusted elders, and youth leaders, to guide services to those who need them most.
FY 2026 Applicant Information
Notice of Intent to Apply
Applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the Department of their intent to apply for funding under the Promise Neighborhoods competition. Submitting a Notice of Intent is not binding and does not obligate the applicant to submit an application.
Please send an email to PromiseNeighborhoods@ed.gov including:
- The name of the lead applicant
- The neighborhood(s) to be served
- The names of key partners in the proposed project
Requested deadline for the Notice of Intent to Apply: June 22, 2026.
Pre-Application Webinars
Promise Neighborhoods staff will post informational presentations and webinar recordings following the live events to help potential applicants revisit information on the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods (84.215N) Application Notice and Instructions.
Promise Neighborhoods Nuts and Bolts Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Nuts and Bolts Webinar Slides (May 18, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Nuts and Bolts Webinar Recording (May 18, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods 101 Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: 101 Webinar Slides (May 18, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: 101 Webinar Recording (May 18, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods Data Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Data Webinar Slides (June 1, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Data Webinar Recording (June 1, 2026)
Promise Neighborhoods 2026 Competition Budget Webinar
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Budget Webinar Slides (June 4, 2026)
- FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods Competition: Budget Webinar Recording (June 4, 2026)
Eligibility
Who May Apply
Under section 4622 of the ESEA, an eligible entity must be one of the following:
- An institution of higher education (IHE), as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA) (20 U.S.C. 1002);
- An Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304); or
- One or more nonprofit entities working in formal partnership with not less than one of the following entities:
- A high-need local educational agency (LEA).
- An IHE, as defined in section 102 of the HEA (20 U.S.C. 1002).
- The office of a chief elected official of a unit of local government.
- An Indian Tribe or Tribal organization, as defined under section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
Please consult the FY 2026 Promise Neighborhoods (84.215N) Application Notice and Instructions for complete eligibility requirements.
Funding
Included in the chart below is the amount of funding per fiscal year since 2021.
| Fiscal Year (FY) | Total Funding |
|---|---|
| FY 2025* | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2024 | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2023 | $91,000,000 |
| FY 2022 | $85,000,000 |
| FY 2021 | $81,000,000 |
*Amount proposed in President's FY25 Budget Request.
Legislation
Regulations
Previous Competitions
To learn more about previous Promise Neighborhood grant competitions, please visit the archived pages below.
FY 2024 Promise Neighborhoods Competition (Archived)
On May 8, 2026 ED and HHS issued the FY2026 competitions for the Ready to Learn program and the Promise Neighborhoods program.