The Centers Aligned with Areas for National Need (CAANN) Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Postsecondary Education in coordination with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, provides grants to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to support teaching of languages of strategic importance and related area studies.

Overview

The CAANN Program supports grants to address areas of national need by teaching languages of strategic importance to United States national security and economic prosperity; providing instruction in fields needed to understand areas, regions, or countries where those languages are used; supporting research and training in international studies and the international and foreign language aspects of professional and other fields of study; and advancing national security interests by providing instruction on critical regions. Institutions may apply as either a comprehensive Center or an undergraduate Center.

Funding and Benefits

• Total Program Funding: $70,000,000
• Expected Number of Awards: 50
• Funding Instrument Type: Grant
• Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No
• Assistance Listing Number: 84.015C

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include an institution of higher education (as defined in the notice) or a consortium of institutions of higher education.

Research Areas and Activities

Grants may address one or more areas of national need through the following activities:

• Teaching languages of strategic importance to U.S. national security and economic prosperity, including Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Hungarian, Polish, Russian, Czech, Arabic, Swahili, Hausa, Hindi, Urdu, Mandarin, Korean, Japanese, Farsi, Bahasa, Thai, and other languages.
• Providing instruction in fields needed to provide understanding of areas, regions, or countries in which the language is used.
• Supporting research and training in international studies and the international and foreign language aspects of professional and other fields of study.
• Advancing national security interests by providing instruction on critical regions such as Latin America, Europe, Eurasia, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Application Process

Applicants are required to follow the 2025 Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs, published in the Federal Register on August 29, 2025 (90 FR 42234). Applications must be submitted through www.grants.gov. The funding opportunity number is ED-GRANTS-060526-001.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to notify the program contact of their intent to submit an application by emailing CAANN@ed.gov with the subject line “Intent to Apply” and including the applicant’s name and a contact person’s name and email address. Submitting a notice of intent to apply is not binding and does not obligate an applicant to apply.

Deadline and Timeline

• Applications Available: June 5, 2026
• Application Deadline: July 7, 2026
• Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 4, 2026
• Archive Date: August 6, 2026

Contact Information

Program Contact: Margarita Meléndez
Telephone: 202-987-0408
Email: CAANN@ed.gov