Notice Announcing Educational Opportunity Centers Program Competition
The Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is soliciting applications in support of the administration of the Educational Opportunity Cent...
Department of Education (ED), Department of Labor (DOL).
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
The Employment and Training Administration at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), is soliciting applications in support of the administration of the Educational
( printed page 16931)
Opportunity Centers Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education (ED).
DATES:
Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the
Grants.gov
“APPLY” function by 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 14, 2026.
The Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) program (84.066A) is designed to provide information regarding financial and academic assistance available for qualified individuals who want to enter or continue to pursue a program of postsecondary education; provide assistance to those individuals in applying for admission to institutions that offer programs of postsecondary education, including assistance in preparing necessary applications for use by admissions and financial aid officers; and improve the financial and economic literacy of program participants. The FY 2026 competition includes priorities, selection criteria, and requirements. The priorities are: Expanding Education Choice, Returning Education to the States, and Expanding Access to Talent Marketplaces.
The program regulations for EOC require that ED publish the following elements of the grant competition in the
Federal Register:
(1) Number of Applications
An applicant may submit multiple applications if each separate application describes a project that will serve a different target area (34 CFR 644.10(a)). The term “target area” is defined as a geographic area served by a project (34 CFR 644.7(b)).
(2) Prior Experience
As required by statute and program regulations, the Secretary will award prior experience points to applicants that have conducted an EOC project. Such points will be awarded based on the applicant's performance during second, third, and fourth years of the performance period.
(3) Maximum Annual Award
For an applicant that has not been designated by their Governor as the state-level applicant, the annual maximum award is $1,300,000.
For one state-level applicant that has been designated by their Governor as the state-level applicant, or for any Indian tribe receiving points under the competitive preference priority, the maximum annual award amount is $3,000,000.
(4) Number of Participants
All projects must serve a minimum of 850 participants annually and have a per participant cost of no more than $280.
Accessible Format:
On request to the program contact person listed under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
, individuals with disabilities can obtain this document in an accessible format.
Note:
Henry Maklakiewicz signs this notice in furtherance of DOL's role in providing support to ED.
David Barker,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
In concurrence
Henry Maklakiewicz,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Department of Labor.