# Education Innovation and Research (formerly Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund) (84.411)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/programs/84-411-education-innovation-and-research-formerly-investing-in/  
Publisher: Well Told Grants. Data: USAspending.gov and Grants.gov, updated November 7, 2026.

Education Innovation and Research (formerly Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund) is run by Department of Education. From fiscal 2021 to 2025 it awarded $967 million in 179 grants, about $5.4 million per award.

## Objectives

To support the creation, development, implementation, replication, and scaling up of evidence-based, field-initiated innovations designed to improve student achievement and attainment for high-need students through a tiered-evidence framework that supports larger awards for projects with the strongest evidence base and supports promising earlier-stage projects that undergo rigorous evaluation.

## Funding by fiscal year

| Year | Amount | Awards |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | $178 million | 28 |
| 2022 | $212 million | 63 |
| 2023 | $136 million | 26 |
| 2024 | $231 million | 37 |
| 2025 | $209 million | 30 |

## Largest recipients

| Recipient | State | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Wested | California | $46.0 million |
| American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences | Virginia | $40.5 million |
| Texas a & M Research Foundation | Texas | $37.8 million |
| University of Kansas Center for Research Inc | Kansas | $32.4 million |
| Jobs for the Future, Inc | Massachusetts | $27.0 million |
| University of Missouri System | Missouri | $23.2 million |
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | Alaska | $23.0 million |
| Southern Methodist University | Texas | $22.0 million |
| Education Development Center, Inc. | Massachusetts | $20.5 million |
| Waterford Institute, Inc | Utah | $19.5 million |
| Michigan State University Foundation | Michigan | $17.7 million |
| Region 18 Education Service Center | Texas | $17.0 million |
| The Johns Hopkins University | Maryland | $15.5 million |
| Strategic Education Research Partnership Institute | District of Columbia | $15.0 million |
| Fresno County Superintendent of Schools | California | $15.0 million |
| Education Analytics, Inc. | Wisconsin | $14.5 million |
| Intercultural Development Research Association | Texas | $13.9 million |
| Alabama State Department of Education | Alabama | $13.5 million |
| Center for Civic Education | California | $13.3 million |
| University of Indianapolis | Indiana | $13.1 million |