FY 26 Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) Program Competition
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The U.S. Department of Labor, on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, is soliciting applications for the FY 2026 Teacher Quality Partnership grant competition to improve student achievement and teacher quality. The program supports partnerships that strengthen teacher preparation and professional development, recruit highly qualified individuals into teaching, and expand Registered Apprenticeships as a pathway for preparing and credentialing new teachers. Eligible applicants must be eligible partnerships that include high-need LEAs and high-need schools or ECE programs, and applications must document that each LEA to be served meets the high-need definition while addressing state certification and licensure requirements, especially in high-need schools and shortage subject areas. This discretionary CFDA 84.336 competition includes an estimated $70 million in total program funding and about 10 awards, with electronically submitted applications due by June 23, 2026 at 11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time; the contact is Mia Howerton at Mia.Howerton@ed.gov.
Eligible Applicants
Eligible ApplicantsAn eligible applicant must be an "eligible partnership" as defined in section 200(6) of the HEA. The term "eligible partnership" means an entity that— Must include—A high-need LEA;(A) A high-need school or a consortium of high-need schools served by the high-need LEA; orAs applicable, a high-need ECE program;A partner institution;A school, department, or program of education within such partner institution, which may include an existing teacher professional development program with proven outcomes within a four-year IHE that provides intensive and sustained collaboration between faculty and LEAs consistent with the requirements of title II of the HEA; andA school or department of arts and sciences within such partner institution; andMay include any of the following:The Governor of the State.The State educational agency (SEA).The State board of education. The State agency for higher education.A business.A public or private nonprofit educational organization.An educational service agency.A teacher organization.A high-performing LEA, or a consortium of such LEAs, that can serve as a resource to the partnership.A charter school.A school or department within the partner institution that focuses on psychology and human development. A school or department within the partner institution with comparable expertise in the disciplines of teaching, learning, and child and adolescent development.An entity operating a program that provides alternative routes to State certification of teachers.Note: So that ED can confirm the eligibility of the LEA(s) that an applicant proposes to serve, applicants must include information in their applications that demonstrates that each LEA to potentially be served by the project is a "high-need LEA" (as defined in this notice). Applicants should review this application notice and instructions for additional information on determining whether an LEA meets the definition of "high-need LEA." Note: An LEA includes a public charter school that operates as an LEA.