Educational Equity Challenge Grant Act of 2026

More school help for high‑need students

This bill would create an Educational Equity Challenge Grant program at the Department of Education to fund schools and partners that address academic and non‑academic student needs, including COVID‑19 learning loss and social‑emotional, mental, behavioral, and physical health supports. If enacted, eligible recipients would include LEAs and consortia, State educational agencies, educational service agencies, nonprofit partnerships with LEAs (including early childhood providers), institutions of higher education, community‑based organizations, national intermediaries, and the Bureau of Indian Education; for‑profit entities would be excluded. The Department would be limited to using up to 5% of funds for administration and would reserve 5% for outlying areas and the Bureau of Indian Education; of the remaining funds, 75% would go to evidence‑based proposals and 25% to field‑ and educator‑initiated proposals that must include independent evaluations and publicly posted results. From the remaining pool, at least 50% would be awarded to entities serving student populations in areas where 20% or more of school‑age children live in low‑income families (per the most recent SAIPE), and at least 25% would be awarded to entities serving rural locales (locale codes 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 or where a majority of schools served have those codes); the Secretary could reduce these set‑asides if not enough high‑quality applications are received. Grantees would be able to use funds for tutoring and academic acceleration, extended and high‑quality distance learning, trauma‑informed and social‑emotional supports, culturally and linguistically responsive curricula, inclusion and services for students with disabilities, and mental and physical health services for students and staff. The bill would authorize $15 billion per year for each of FY2027–FY2029, $10 billion per year for each of FY2030–FY2033, and $5 billion per year for each of FY2034–FY2036; the Secretary would have to publish grant application materials and evidence resources within 90 days after enactment, grantees would file annual reports, and the Department would report to Congress starting one year after the first grants are awarded.