Race to the Top Eligibility

Is your State eligible?

States must meet the following requirements in order to be eligible to receive funds under this program:

  • The State's applications for funding under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (Stabilization) program must be approved by the Department prior to the State being awarded a Race to the Top grant.
  • At the time the State submits its application, there must not be any legal, statutory, or regulatory barriers at the State level to linking data on student achievement (as defined in the NFP) or student growth (as defined in the NFP) to teachers and principals for the purposes of teacher and principal evaluation.

Download your Race to the Top Essentials Kit

Who may apply

Who May Apply: (by category) Governors

Who May Apply: (specifically) Awards are made to States

States are the eligible applicants under section 14006(a)(2) of the ARRA. As defined by section 14013 of the ARRA, the term "State" means each of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.Section 14006(c) of the ARRA requires at least 50 percent of Race to the Top funding to States to be sub-granted to participating LEAs according to their relative shares of funding under the ESEA Title I, Part A program for the most recent year.States have considerable flexibility in awarding or allocating the remaining 50 percent of their Race to the Top awards, which are available for State-level activities, disbursements to LEAs, and other purposes as the State may propose in its plan.

 

Source: U.S. Department of Education

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Where does your state stand?


Download the names of States who have submitted letters of intent to apply for Phase 1 of the Race to the Top.

States are encouraged by the Department to submit letters of intent so the Department can plan for the Phase 1 peer review process. Letters of intent are not required for a State to submit an application in Phase 1. Likewise, States that submit letters of intent are not required to submit an application in Phase 1.


Budget Guidance

States are encouraged to develop budgets that match the needs they have outlined in their applications. To support States in planning their budgets, the Department has developed nonbinding budget ranges.