Libraries

2026 Open Education Initiative Grants: Call for Proposals

To celebrate Open Education Week, the University Libraries are launching the 2026 Open Education Initiative (OEI) Grant award cycle. These grants provide funding for instructors to adopt, adapt, revise, or create Open Educational Resources (OER) or incorporate open pedagogical practices (OEP) into their courses. OER are teaching materials released with an open license, which allows for their free revision and redistribution with attribution to the creator of the original work. OEP represent teaching and learning techniques that focus on students and draw upon open and participatory technologies and high-quality OER to facilitate collaborative and flexible learning. The Libraries’ OEI aims to: 

  • Encourage the development of alternatives to high-cost textbooks by supporting the adoption, adaptation, revision, or creation of OER; 
  • Provide support to faculty to implement these approaches; 
  • Lower the cost of educational materials for students to contribute to their success, retention, and graduation; 
  • Encourage faculty to engage in new pedagogical models for classroom instruction. 

The OEI grant pool has historically been supported by both the Provost’s Office and the University Libraries, and this year’s pool of $25,000 continues this partnership. The Libraries also partner with the Center for Teaching and Learning; the Learning Resource Center; and Instructional Design, Engagement, and Support (IDEAS) groups to support this initiative. In the past, instructors have been awarded grants of between $500 and $15,000 based on several factors including class size, project scope, innovation, and shareability of the project – historically, the average grant award is $2200. In total, more than 140 faculty have participated in previous grant cycles resulting in savings of more than $2.5 million for our students. Priority funding will be given to projects that feature the creation of OER, impact large numbers of students (e.g. in general education or foundational courses), and first-time OEI applicants. Proposals are due Sunday, April 26.  

Please apply using our 2026 Submission Form. You can also find more information about our timelines, funding priorities, requirements, and our rubric online on our OEI guide. We’ll also be offering four information sessions for an overview of the application process and review criteria, as well as an opportunity to discuss potential projects and ask questions:  

We suggest that you attend an information session to learn more before submitting your final proposal. We are also open to meeting one-on-one with those who are unable to attend an informational session or have further questions. You can reach out to the three of us (Ryan Clement, Erin Jerome, and Christine Turner) by emailing scholarlypublishing@library.umass.edu. We look forward to seeing your proposals and working with you to support open educational practices and student success!