2025 Evidence for Impact

Accelerate’s Evidence for Impact grant, with an allocation of up to $250,000, targets scalable, established tutoring models that have prior evidence suggesting positive effects on student outcomes. The purpose of these grants is to support high fidelity in program implementation and to further develop the evidence base for HDT and the model through a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

• GRANT AMOUNT
  • Up to $250,000. The randomized controlled trial (RCT) research study will be funded separately and directly by Accelerate.
• GRANT PERIOD
  • July 1, 2025 – December 31, 2026
• ELIGIBILE APPLICANTS
  • » Tutoring providers (nonprofit and for-profit).
  • » Public school districts; public charter schools and charter management organizations.
  • » Colleges and universities.
  • » Support organizations (nonprofit and for-profit), such as education intermediaries, and citywide collaboratives.
  • Eligible applicants must have prior evidence of tutoring program impact based on correlational, QED, or RCT evidence (that relies on research designs such as regression discontinuity (RD), panel difference-in-differences/event study, or propensity score matched comparison), and found to produce sizable positive effects (>0.20 SD approx. 2 months learning from a correlational or QED study or >0.10 SD from an RCT).
• ELIGIBLE PROGRAMS
• Tutoring program must reflect Accelerate’s definition of high-dosage tutoring:
  • » Tutoring occurs during the school day
  • » Individualized, with tutor:student ratios not higher than 1:4
  • » Intensive, with a minimum of 2 sessions per week
  • » The tutoring program uses a structured, evidenced-based curriculum designed for tutoring with formative assessments to track progress
• EFI GRANT EXPECTATIONS
• During the grant period, all grantees will be required to (at minimum):
  • » Provide tutoring or personalized learning services 1:1 or in small groups to students in grades PK-12 during the school day in SY 2025-26, in reading and/or mathematics.
  • » Start program implementation in Fall semester, 2025 or Spring semester, 2026.
  • » Track tutoring program implementation, dosage, and student participation over the course of the grant term in compliance with a minimum, uniform data standard. Share de-identified student-level data with a third party data layer at least twice per term.
  • » Partner with an Accelerate research partner for the duration of the grant period.
  • » Secure data sharing agreements and IRB (Institutional Review Board) approval in partnership with a research partner to facilitate research on the program’s impact on student outcomes.
  • » Engage in research activities and/or a program evaluation to assess the impact of the tutoring program model on student outcomes. Submit research findings and final reports by December 31, 2026.
  • » Participate in Accelerate’s Community of Practice, including in-person attendance at Accelerate’s Annual Convening.
  • » Complete Accelerate’s cost analysis tool, and engage with Accelerate regarding its use and application.
• EFI RESEARCH EXPECTATIONS
• All EFI grantees must engage in research activities, including a randomized controlled trial (RCT), to assess the impact of the tutoring program model on student outcomes. To ensure our research meets the highest standards of rigor, we are requiring minimum student sample sizes for all RCT studies. These requirements serve two critical purposes:
  • » The sample sizes meet the threshold necessary to satisfy ESSA Tier 1 evidence standards, which represent the most rigorous level of evidence in educational research.
  • » The specified sample sizes ensure that all studies are sufficiently powered to detect a minimum detectable effect size of 0.10-0.15 standard deviations, allowing us to identify meaningful program impacts with statistical confidence.
• RCT Sample Size Requirements: The specific student sample size must align with your proposed research design to ensure adequate statistical power.
  • » Two-arm RCT: At least 400 students in the study sample, which means at least 200 students receiving tutoring, and 200 receiving the control condition (i.e., no tutoring and/or business as usual)
    • IMPORTANT: Two-arm randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will only be considered if the program addresses one of Accelerate’s priority research areas (i.e., secondary grades; special populations; math. See more information below under “Priority Research Areas”).
  • » Three-arm RCT: At least 600 students in the study sample, which means at least 400 students are receiving tutoring (across two treatment arms), where one program design characteristic (e.g., student-teacher ratio; dosage) is randomized, and 200 students receiving the control condition (i.e., no tutoring and/or business as usual)

After funding extensive research through previous grant cycles, Accelerate has identified specific critical gaps in the tutoring evidence base that this highly-specified grant round will address:

• UNDERSTUDIED STUDENT GROUPS
  • » Secondary Grades (6-12): Research on effective math and literacy tutoring models for older students.
  • » Special Populations: Research on tutoring impact for: Students with IEPs; Multilingual Learners; Economically Disadvantaged Students (e.g., students eligible for Free Reduced Priced Lunch).
  • » Math: Research on tutoring programs focused explicitly on building students’ math skills.

• STUDY DESIGN ELEMENTS
  • » Two-Arm RCTs: Studies that directly compare the program (i.e., treatment) against business as usual (i.e., control)
    • › Tutoring program has sufficient number of students served (400 minimum, with 200 receiving the tutoring) in programs supporting Math and/or Secondary Grades to be considered for a two arm study
  • » Three-Arm RCTs: Studies that directly compare program design features such as tutor type, dosage, ratio, and training intensity
    • › Tutoring program has sufficient number of students served (600 minimum, with 400 receiving the tutoring) to be considered for a three arm study with the ability to randomize one (or more) program design characteristics (i.e., treatment) against business as usual (i.e., control)
• OUTCOME MEASURES
  • » Special consideration will be given to study designs that incorporate the following:
    • › Policy-Relevant Outcomes: Focus on nationally normed assessments and/or end-of-year state exams
    • › Longitudinal Impact: Research on how tutoring affects long-term learning trajectories
    • › Skill Transfer: How improvements in foundational skills translate to broader measures of performance

• ELIGIBILITY FORM & LETTER OF INTEREST
  • » All applicants must complete both the Eligibility Form (PDF preview) and Letter of Interest (PDF preview) to be considered for funding.
  • IMPORTANT: Access to the Letter of Interest is sequential and conditional.
    • › First, complete the Eligibility Form
    • › Only applicants deemed eligible will receive access to submit a Letter of Interest
  • » Both the Eligibility Form and Letter of Interest are available in Temelio, Accelerate’s grant management system.
    • › For the Eligibility Form: No Temelio profile creation is required; complete the form directly through the provided link
    • › For the Letter of Interest (eligible applicants only): You will need to create a Temelio profile, if your organization does not have one already; eligible applicants will be automatically redirected to the LOI and instructions for creating a profile.
  • » All applicants are asked to submit research and prior evidence documentation with their organization’s Letter of Interest. Be prepared to submit, as PDF attachments, a recent evaluation report (completed within the last 3 years). Eligible applicants should:
    • (1) have prior evidence of tutoring program impact based on correlational, QED, or RCT evidence (that relies on research designs such as regression discontinuity (RD), panel difference-in-differences/event study, or propensity score matched comparison), and
    • (2) found to produce sizable positive effects (>0.20 SD approx. 2 months learning from a correlational or QED study or >0.10 SD from an RCT).
  • » Eligibility Forms and Letters of Interest are due April 4, 2025 11:59 PM ET.
• APPLICATION
• Accelerate will review the Letter of Interest and invite select applicants to complete the full application in Spring, 2025.
• Full application requirements include:
  • (1) District Commitment Letter(s)
    • › A formal letter from the participating district(s) explicitly confirming support for conducting an RCT. The letter should acknowledge understanding of research requirements, timeline, and data sharing expectations; a template letter for this purpose can be found here.
    • › Priority consideration will be given to applicants with established district/school relationships, as demonstrated by: previous successful collaboration; existing data-sharing agreements or protocols; district familiarity with the program/intervention.
  • (2) Team Interview
    • › All applicants will participate in an interview with our review committee. Interviews should include key personnel from your organization, and we encourage you to include representatives from your partnering school district(s), where possible.
    • › Be prepared to discuss program theory of change, implementation challenges, and research design; an interview protocol will be shared in advance of the interview.
  • (3) Data Validation
    • › All applicants will be asked to verify their organization’s ability to track tutoring program implementation, dosage, and student participation data in compliance with a minimum, uniform data standard.
  • (4) Proposed Budget
    • › Submit a budget plan outlining all expected costs related to the proposed project. Please note that Accelerate will directly contract with research partners to support grantees’ program evaluations, so you should not include the cost of the research study itself. However, you may include other expenses related to evaluation activities such as staff time for data collection, reporting, and coordination with research partners.
• TIMELINE
• A timeline for the application process is below. Please note that this timeline is not exhaustive.

• March 24, 2025 – April 4, 2025	›  Eligibility Form (PDF preview) and Letter of Interest (PDF preview) form available
  Spring 2025	›  Review committee evaluates Letters of Interest ›  Selected applicants invited to complete full application process, including: ›  Required District Commitment letter(s) ›  Interview of applicant organization’s key personnel with Accelerate’s review committee (School District representative(s) welcome, but optional) ›  Validation of detailed dosage data according to Accelerate’s minimum, uniform data standard. ›  Proposed project budget, up to $250,000, excluding research expenses
  Summer 2025	›  Notification of award ›  Grant award finalization ›  Research partner match for grantees
  Fall 2025	Start of grant award year
  Winter 2026	End of grant award year

For additional information, see our grant FAQ page.