Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program Accepting Applications for Teacher Preparation Programs

The Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence (Hawkins) Program is now accepting applications from colleges and universities to help increase and retain the number of well-prepared teachers from diverse backgrounds. This new grant program first received $8 million in funding from Congress in FY 2022. 

The Hawkins program is designed to support centers of excellence at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs); Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs); and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) with a state-accredited teacher preparation program. 

The Education Department will award up to five grants with a maximum award amount of $1.6 million for four years. Information on applying for a Hawkins grant is available from the Department. Applications are due October 7.

This grant competition contains the following absolute priority and two competitive preference priorities: 

• Absolute Priority: The Department will only consider projects that are evidence-based, comprehensive teacher preparation programs that provide extensive clinical experience.
• Competitive Preference Priority Number 1: The Department will consider projects that are designed to increase and retain the number of well-prepared teachers from diverse backgrounds. 
• Competitive Preference Priority Number 2: Projects that are designed to prepare a new generation of effective and experienced bilingual and/or multilingual teachers for high-need schools by increasing the number of teachers across elementary and secondary schools who are fully certified to provide academic language instruction in a language other than English.

For more information, please contact:
Emmanual Guillory