Nashville, Tenn., (May 27 2025)—Accelerate today announced its newest grant opportunity that aims to identify and support the development, implementation, and evaluation of promising AI-powered and educational technology tools. The Call for Effective Technology grant program (CET) seeks to shape evidence-based policies and quality standards for AI and tech integration in education.
Eligible organizations have existing tools or solutions ready to be piloted in schools in the 2025-26 school year – that are grounded in established learning science and evidence-based teaching practices. Ideal candidates will have conducted initial field testing and can articulate a clear theory of action for how their technology addresses a significant, well-defined challenge in education.
Grant funding of between $150,000-$250,000 is available to support implementation of the grantee’s technology solutions during the 2025-26 school year. Selected grantees will have the opportunity to work with an external research partner focused on conducting applied evaluation studies that examine usability, feasibility, and initial evidence of effectiveness. Through this research, grantees will gain practical insights to strengthen their tools, while helping establish quality benchmarks that shape both practice and policy, and identifying technology models positioned to improve outcomes for students furthest from opportunity.
“Accelerate is committed to ensuring students receive supports that are grounded in evidence and reflect their unique academic needs,” said Kevin Huffman, CEO of Accelerate. “The proliferation of AI and tech-enabled tools signifies an important opportunity to make sure we understand what works so we can find sustainable ways to get kids what they need.”
“The Call for Effective Technology reflects our overarching commitment to doing what is best for students, especially those in underserved and under-resourced communities,” said Jennifer Bronson, Managing Director of Programs at Accelerate. “We are confident this grant program will help uncover and amplify tools that move the needle on student outcomes.”
All grantees will engage in research activities and/or a program evaluation to assess the impact of the educational technology solution on relevant outcomes, as well as regularly track implementation and academic achievement data.
To learn more and apply, visit Accelerate’s website: accelerate.us/cet-application.
