Accelerate invites Letters of Interest for our Evidence for Impact (EFI) grant program. The program is designed for organizations with established tutoring models that have demonstrated positive effects on student outcomes through prior evidence. This year, we will offer individual awards of up to $250,000 to help grantees implement high-quality tutoring programs; research evaluations of each grantee program will be covered separately and directly by Accelerate.
As national data reveals widening achievement gaps with our lowest-performing students falling further behind, high-dosage tutoring remains a crucial tool to accelerate learning. However, specific research gaps in the tutoring evidence base must be addressed. This highly selective grant opportunity will fund organizations ready to fill these high-dosage tutoring research gaps, with Evidence for Impact grants focusing specifically on understudied populations, subject areas, grade bands, and program design elements.
As with our other grant programs, successful applicants will demonstrate a potential to deliver in-school tutoring services to improve outcomes for students, particularly students in historically underserved communities. Eligible applicants must submit prior evidence of tutoring program impact based on correlational, QED, or RCT evidence, and found to produce sizable positive effects. We welcome applications from a variety of organizations, including:
- 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, organizations building data infrastructure, and citywide collaboratives
Eligible programs must reflect Accelerate’s definition of high-dosage tutoring: tutoring that occurs during the school day; is individualized with tutor ratios not higher than 1:4; provides intensive support with a minimum of 2 sessions per week; and uses a structured, evidence-based curriculum designed for tutoring with formative assessments to track progress.
Our priority research areas include:
- Secondary Grades (6-12): Research on effective math and literacy tutoring models
- Special Populations: Research on tutoring impact for students with IEPs, Multilingual Learners, and Economically Disadvantaged Students
- Math: Research on tutoring programs focused explicitly on building students’ math skills
To view our full list of priorities and application requirements, please visit our Evidence for Impact Application page.
All interested organizations must complete both the Eligibility Form and Letter of Interest (PDF preview) by April 4, 2025, 11:59 PM ET. Selected applicants will be invited to complete the full application process in Spring 2025.
For questions, please email program@accelerate.us.
