Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE YR 1822
The Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation Grants opportunity is a discretionary federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). Its main purpose is to fund dissertation research by advanced doctoral students whose work is carried out in active partnership with Head Start (and potentially other early care and education) programs and guided closely by a faculty mentor. The program is designed both to produce policy-relevant research that can strengthen services for low-income children and families and to build the next generation of early childhood researchers through structured mentoring and hands-on research experience.
A central theme of the grant is applied, policy-informing research. OPRE is looking for dissertation projects that address questions with clear implications for decision-making at the local, state, or federal level, rather than projects that are only theoretical or narrowly confined to a single site without broader lessons. While Head Start is a key partner context, the grant emphasizes relevance across multiple early care and education settings and encourages applicants to think across systems. Applicants are specifically prompted to consider data collection across contexts such as child care, public pre-k, home-visiting programs, Head Start, Early Head Start, and related early childhood services, especially when that broader approach helps answer questions that matter for program improvement and policy design.
Partnership is not treated as a minor feature of the application; it is an expectation that should be visible throughout the research plan. Applicants are expected to show that they already have an established working relationship with early care and education program partners and that partners have been involved from the earliest stages, including shaping and refining the research questions. The partnership should also be reflected in practical elements of the project such as access to sites or participants, feasible and ethical data collection plans, interpretation of findings that incorporates program realities, and dissemination strategies that share results back with the programs and stakeholders who can use them.
In terms of who can apply, the applicant is an organization rather than an individual student. Accredited public, state-controlled, and private institutions of higher education may apply on behalf of doctoral-level graduate students. OPRE also explicitly encourages applications from eligible Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and faith-based institutions of higher education. Beyond eligibility, the institution is expected to have the research infrastructure to administer the award properly, including a track record of research oversight, budget management, and the support resources needed to help a doctoral student carry out a high-quality dissertation project.
The faculty mentor plays a formal leadership role and is expected to serve as the principal investigator (PI). The mentor must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in the relevant field and must conduct research as a primary professional responsibility. OPRE highlights the mentor's responsibility for supervision and quality control, signaling that awards are meant to support rigorous, well-managed research that can withstand scrutiny and produce a strong end product. Separately, the doctoral student must meet a key readiness requirement: to receive an award, the student must provide evidence that the dissertation proposal has already been approved prior to the award being made, which helps ensure that funded projects are ready to launch and can be completed on a realistic timeline.
The funding details in the provided listing indicate an award ceiling of $25,000, with an expectation of approximately six awards. The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.600 and is categorized under Income Security and Social Services. The listing provided also includes a prior cycle timeline (created March 26, 2020, with an application due date of June 5, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET), which is useful as a reference point for how these competitions have been run, even if dates differ in future rounds.
Finally, this program has a history and may be familiar under its previous name, Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants. OPRE provides links to information about prior grantees and related program materials, which can help prospective applicants understand the kinds of dissertation topics, methods, and partnerships that have been funded in the past, as well as OPRE's broader research priorities and the role of the Office of Head Start in the early childhood landscape.Apply for HHS 2020 ACF OPRE YR 1822
- The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families - OPRE in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.600.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 26, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 05, 2020 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 p.m., ET, on the listed application due date.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation Grants
What is the Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Dissertation Grants program?
It is a discretionary federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), through the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE). The program funds dissertation research by advanced doctoral students, carried out in active partnership with Head Start (and potentially other early care and education programs) and guided closely by a faculty mentor.
What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?
The program is designed to support policy-relevant dissertation research that can strengthen services for low-income children and families, while also building the next generation of early childhood researchers through structured mentoring and hands-on research experience.
What type of research does OPRE want to fund through this program?
OPRE emphasizes applied, policy-informing research. Dissertation projects should address questions with clear implications for decision-making at the local, state, or federal level, rather than being only theoretical or narrowly focused on a single site without broader lessons.
Does the dissertation research have to take place in Head Start?
Head Start is described as a key partner context, and the dissertation work is expected to be carried out in active partnership with Head Start programs. At the same time, the opportunity emphasizes relevance across multiple early care and education settings and encourages applicants to think across systems when that broader approach helps answer important policy and program improvement questions.
Which early care and education settings does the opportunity encourage applicants to consider?
The opportunity prompts applicants to consider data collection across contexts such as child care, public pre-k, home-visiting programs, Head Start, Early Head Start, and related early childhood services, especially when spanning contexts strengthens the study's policy relevance.
How important is partnership with programs in this grant?
Partnership is an expectation and should be visible throughout the research plan. Applicants are expected to show an established working relationship with early care and education program partners and demonstrate that partners were involved from the earliest stages, including shaping and refining the research questions.
What does OPRE expect to see as evidence of a real program partnership?
Based on the opportunity description, partnership should show up in practical elements such as access to sites or participants, feasible and ethical data collection plans, interpretation of findings that incorporates program realities, and dissemination strategies that share results back with programs and stakeholders who can use them.
Who is allowed to apply for this grant?
The applicant is an organization, not an individual student. Accredited public, state-controlled, and private institutions of higher education may apply on behalf of doctoral-level graduate students.
Are any specific types of institutions encouraged to apply?
Yes. OPRE explicitly encourages applications from eligible Tribally Controlled Land Grant Colleges and Universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs), and faith-based institutions of higher education.
Can an individual doctoral student apply directly?
No. The opportunity states that the applicant is an organization rather than an individual student. Institutions of higher education apply on behalf of doctoral-level graduate students.
What role does the faculty mentor play in the application and project?
The faculty mentor plays a formal leadership role and is expected to serve as the principal investigator (PI). OPRE highlights the mentor's responsibility for supervision and quality control to help ensure the research is rigorous, well-managed, and produces a strong end product.
What qualifications are expected of the faculty mentor/PI?
The mentor/PI must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree in the relevant field and must conduct research as a primary professional responsibility.
What readiness requirement applies to the doctoral student?
To receive an award, the doctoral student must provide evidence that the dissertation proposal has already been approved prior to the award being made. This requirement is intended to ensure projects are ready to launch and can be completed on a realistic timeline.
What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The provided listing indicates an award ceiling of $25,000.
How many awards are expected to be made?
The provided listing indicates an expectation of approximately six awards.
Which federal agency and office administer this grant?
The grant is offered by HHS through ACF, and administered through OPRE (the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation).
What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?
The opportunity is associated with CFDA number 93.600.
What category is this opportunity listed under?
The listing categorizes the opportunity under Income Security and Social Services.
What does the timeline information in the listing tell applicants?
The listing includes a prior cycle reference point: it was created March 26, 2020, with an application due date of June 5, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. ET. While future rounds may have different dates, this history can help applicants understand how competitions have been run in the past.
Has this program gone by another name?
Yes. The program may be familiar under its previous name: Early Care and Education Research Scholars: Head Start Graduate Student Research Grants.
Where can prospective applicants learn what kinds of projects have been funded before?
OPRE provides links to information about prior grantees and related program materials. These resources can help applicants understand the kinds of dissertation topics, methods, and partnerships funded in the past, along with OPRE's broader research priorities and the role of the Office of Head Start in the early childhood landscape.
What does OPRE mean by research that is relevant "across systems"?
Based on the opportunity description, "across systems" refers to designing questions and data collection approaches that speak to multiple early care and education settings (for example, Head Start alongside child care, public pre-k, or home-visiting) when doing so improves the study's usefulness for program improvement and policy design.
Why does OPRE emphasize dissemination back to programs and stakeholders?
The opportunity description frames dissemination as part of a genuine partnership and part of producing policy-relevant research. Applicants are expected to plan for sharing results back with programs and stakeholders who can use the findings in real-world decision-making.
What institutional capacity is expected from the applicant organization?
The institution is expected to have the research infrastructure to properly administer the award, including a track record of research oversight and budget management, and support resources to help a doctoral student carry out a high-quality dissertation project.
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