Educator Workforce Investment Grant Program

Section 84 of the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill (Senate Bill 75) for the 2019–20 California State Budget established the Educator Workforce Investment Grant (EWIG) program to support one or more competitive grants for professional learning opportunities for teachers and paraprofessionals across the state. The California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Collaborative for Educational Excellence are directed to establish a process to select one or more institutions of higher education or nonprofit organizations to conduct activities in the following areas:

• Professional learning activities to implement the California English Learner Roadmap Policy
  
• Special education-related professional learning
  
• Professional learning for teachers and paraprofessionals statewide in the following areas:
  
  • Practices and strategies to create a positive school climate, including social-emotional learning and restorative justice
    
  • Strategies for providing high-quality instruction and computer science (CS) learning experiences aligned to the 2018 California Computer Science Content Standards (CA CS Content Standards)
    
  • Practices to support the 2020 Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum
    

Positive consideration will be given to applicants that propose to partner with a county office of education (COE) or a consortium of COEs. Activities will be conducted in a manner that aligns with the statewide system of support, and, to the extent practicable, grantees will coordinate activities with the California Subject Matter Projects.

Below you will find links to grant web pages, Requests for Applications (RFAs) timelines, contacts, program authorization, and stakeholder information. New information and guidance will be added as it becomes available. To be notified when new information becomes available, please join the EWIG listserv by sending a blank email message to join-ewig@mlist.cde.ca.gov.

2022 Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Effective Language Acquisition Programs Update

Assembly Bill 185, Chapter 571, Statutes of 2022, Section 55 of the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill for the 2022–23 California State Budget provides $10 million for the EWIG: Effective Language Acquisition Programs (ELAP). As part of the EWIG program, the CDE is providing this ELAP Professional Learning Grant RFA. The selected grantee(s) will become an important member of the Statewide System of Support, providing professional learning activities designed to implement effective language acquisition programs for English learners, which may include integrated language development within and across content areas, building and strengthening capacity to implement the California EL Roadmap adopted by the State Board of Education in July 2017, and bilingual and biliterate proficiency. This EWIG: ELAP Professional Learning Grant will fund successful applicants between August 1, 2023, through June 30, 2025.

2022 Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Special Education Professional Learning Update

Assembly Bill 185, Chapter 571, Statutes of 2022, Section 55 of the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill for the 2022–23 California State Budget provides $10 million for the EWIG. As a part of the EWIG program, the CDE is providing this Special Education Educator Workforce Investment Grant (SE-EWIG) RFA. The Placer County Office of Education (PCOE) was selected as the grantee. The PCOE will add to the Statewide System of Supports and target its focus on improving inclusive practices for all pupils, including pupils with disabilities, in general education settings. Participants will deepen their understanding of universal design of learning with a focus on implementation and application both in the classroom and at the systems level. The SE-EWIG will fund PCOE between June 1, 2023, and June 30, 2025.

2023 Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Computer Science Update

Assembly Bill 185, Chapter 571, Statutes of 2022, Section 55 of the Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill for the 2022-23 California State Budget provides $15 million for the EWIG: CS. As part of the EWIG Program, the CDE is providing this CS Professional Learning Grant RFA. The selected grantee will become an important member of the Statewide System of Support, providing targeted support focused on strategies for providing high-quality CS instruction and CS learning experiences aligned to the CA CS Content Standards developed pursuant to Education Code Section 60605.4. This EWIG: CS Professional Learning Grant will fund one successful applicant between May 1, 2023, through February 28, 2025.

2021 Educator Workforce Investment Grant: Computer Science Update

The Budget Act of 2021, Item 6100-195-0001, provides $5 million on a one-time basis to establish the EWIG: CS. As part of the EWIG Program, the CDE is providing this CS Professional Learning Grant RFA. The selected grantee will become an important member of the Statewide System of Support, providing targeted support focused on strategies for providing high-quality CS instruction and CS learning experiences aligned to the CA CS Content Standards developed pursuant to Education Code Section 60605.4. This EWIG: CS Professional Learning Grant will fund one successful applicant $5 million between March 3, 2022, through March 29, 2024.

Grant Web Pages and Timelines

Important 2019 EWIG Program Update

Regretfully, due to the COVID-19 response and the stress that it has put on the state’s fiscal forecast, the Department of Finance has requested that the funds allocated in the 2019 California State Budget for the EWIG Program: CS, the EWIG Program: Positive School Climate, Social-Emotional Learning, and Restorative Justice, and the EWIG Program: Ethnic Studies be returned. These funds will be reallocated for other uses as deemed appropriate through the budget process.

We appreciate the interest that you have expressed related to these grant programs and look forward to sharing other grant opportunities with you in the future.

EWIG Legislative Reports (Statutes of 2019)

• EWIG 2020 Legislative Report
• EWIG 2021 Legislative Report
• EWIG 2022 Legislative Report 
• EWIG 2023 Legislative Report

EWIG Legislative Reports (Statutes of 2022)

• EWIG 2023 Legislative Report: Special Education and Effective Language Acquisition Programs Professional Learning (Coming Soon)

Contacts

Program Authorization

Assembly Bill 185 (Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill of 2022)
Section 55 of the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill for the 2022-23 California State Budget Authorized $15 million through the 2024-25 fiscal year for the 2023 EWIG: CS Professional Learning Grant program.

Senate Bill 75 (Education Omnibus Budget Trailer Bill of 2019)
Section 84 of the Education Omnibus Trailer Bill (Senate Bill 75) for the 2019–20 California State Budget authorized $37,100,000 through the 2022–23 fiscal year for the EWIG program.

Assembly Bill 128 (Budget Act of 2021)

CDE June 28, 2019 News Release

Stakeholder Engagement

Webinar

During the webinar, stakeholders were asked to provide input on "critical areas" for professional learning related to each topic. The intended audience included educators, school and district administrators at all levels, county office staff, statewide and local educational agencies and organizations, and other interested stakeholders.

• Webinar Recording

Stakeholder Input Survey

Stakeholders provided input on "critical areas" for professional learning for teachers and paraprofessionals through the EWIG Development Input Survey. The survey closed on October 25, 2019.