Program Overview
The University of Washington’s AmplifyGAIN Center – a National Research & Development Center in Generative AI use in classroom instruction – announces professional development contracts for building educator capacity to effectively and responsibly use generative AI in classroom instruction. This contract opportunity aims to support Education Service Districts/Centers/County Office of Education or other variations that are intermediate organizations between the state departments of Education and individual school districts (ESCs hereafter). This educator competency building opportunity in 2026 represents a strategic investment in national leadership in AI-enhanced education.
Eligibility and Details of the Program
AmplifyGAIN will award five contracts ranging from $8,000 to $20,000, with funding levels determined by the proposed scope of work and anticipated impact. Selected ESCs will join a cohort of awardees nationwide, creating a collaborative network focused on advancing AI competency in educational settings. We anticipate this network will grow over time. This initiative specifically targets ESCs that demonstrate readiness to implement comprehensive professional development programs and contribute to the broader mission of cultivating AI leadership in education. This opportunity is open to all eligible ESCs nationwide.
Required Proposal Components
- Introduction of your ESC’s current service portfolio and existing AI initiatives, demonstrating your organization’s foundation for this work. Include details about your geographic reach, educator demographics served, current professional development capacity, and any pilot programs or early adoption efforts related to educational technology or AI tools (200 words).
- Outline your proposed scope of work with specific attention to implementation details and measurable outcomes. If possible, specify the number of training sessions planned in the 2025-26 school year, proposed topics that align with generative AI in classroom instruction, estimated participant numbers across different educator roles, and comprehensive metrics for assessing training effectiveness in building AI competency. Contracts will be distributed upon the competition of milestones (200 words).
- A short paragraph about how your ESC will actively partner with the AmplifyGAIN team to advance national leadership in AI education (200 words).
Why Should I Apply?
Selected ESCs will:
- Receive financial support for their work as stated above.
- Receive ongoing technical assistance from the AmplifyGAIN research team, access to cutting-edge training materials, and opportunities for national conference presentations, and participation in a peer learning network.
- Be able to offer the enterprise license of a cutting-edge, high-quality learning platform—Colleague AI—to their participants, free of charge for 3-months.
- Have their participants eligible to apply for a prestigious AI Competency for Educators (AICE) Badging from the University of Washington.
In sum, this collaboration will position your ESC as a leader in AI education implementation while contributing valuable insights to the national research base.
Timeline and Submission Requirements
- Proposal submission deadline: Feb 15, 2026
- Notification of awards: Feb 28, 2026
- Contract period: the 2026 calendar year
- Reporting: Mid-year report: July 31, 2026; final report: Dec 31, 2026
How do I Apply?
- AmplifyGAIN will provide one information session on Jan 20, 2026, 9-10am PT to answer any questions you may have. Please register here to obtain the Zoom link.
- Please complete the application form.
- If you have any questions, please reach out to amplifylearn@uw.edu.
Acknowledgement: This work is supported by the Institute of Education Sciences of the U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305C240012 to the University of Washington. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of the funders