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The U.S. Department of Education Releases Initial FY 2026 Talent Search and EOC Awards, Preserving Hundreds of TRIO Programs but Leaving Communities Behind

August 28, 2026 — by Terrance L. Hamm

*COE welcomes the U.S. Department of Education’s compliance with congressional directives while warning that fewer awards will reduce access to proven college access services*.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Council for Opportunity in Education (COE) today expressed both relief and serious concern following the release of the first slate of awards in the U.S. Department of Education’s fiscal year 2026 competitions for the Federal TRIO Talent Search and Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) programs.

COE is gratified that the Department followed congressional directives and moved forward with funding hundreds of Talent Search and EOC projects, preserving critical college access services for middle and high school youth as well as adult learners across the country. At the same time, COE is deeply disappointed that the Department restructured the competitions in ways that have so far resulted in fewer grants being awarded overall, thus eliminating longstanding TRIO services in some communities.

“These initial awards bring both relief and heartbreak to the TRIO community,” said COE President Kimberly Jones. “We are grateful that the Department ultimately followed the direction of Congress and that hundreds of Talent Search and EOC programs will continue serving students and families. That outcome did not happen by accident. TRIO educators, students, alumni, institutions, families, and bipartisan champions in Congress spent months making clear that these programs are essential. But we cannot celebrate without also acknowledging the communities that, based on what we know today, are losing services they have relied upon for years. The Department made fundamental changes to these competitions that reduced the number of awards and shifted resources away from many proven programs. For the students and communities affected, those decisions have very real consequences.”

According to information provided to COE, the first Talent Search slate includes 326 grants that will receive approximately $143 million in FY 2026 funding. An additional 28 successful applicants with one or two years remaining on existing awards were selected through the competition and will begin their new grants in FY 2027 or FY 2028. Those projects will continue operating in FY 2026 through non-competing continuation awards.

The Talent Search slate also includes multimillion-dollar statewide awards to the Executive Office of the State of Ohio and the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, the latter of which was already a Talent Search grantee. Beyond the Ohio statewide award, COE’s preliminary review has not identified other new grantees on the first slate.

Based on the first slate alone, there are currently 169 fewer Talent Search awards than under the previous grant cycle. COE estimates that approximately $32 million remains available for additional Talent Search projects, although the number of grants ultimately funded will depend in part on the size and composition of awards included in a forthcoming second slate.

“After months of extraordinary uncertainty, there is real significance in the fact that hundreds of Talent Search and EOC programs now know that their work will continue,” said COE Executive Vice President Aaron Brown. “Congress spoke clearly about the importance of maintaining these programs, and the TRIO community responded with sustained advocacy from every corner of the country. Because of those efforts, hundreds of institutions and organizations will be able to keep helping students navigate the path to college, financial aid, career preparation, and economic mobility. We also know that this process is not finished. Additional applicants remain under consideration, and we are hopeful that the remaining funds will preserve as many high-quality programs and services as possible.”

For Educational Opportunity Centers, the first slate includes 102 grants that will receive approximately $45 million in FY 2026 funding. Another 28 successful applicants with one, two, or three years remaining on existing awards were selected and will begin their new grants in FY 2027, FY 2028, or FY 2029, as appropriate.

Two state entities, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission and the West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education, received multimillion-dollar statewide EOC awards. Beyond those statewide awards, COE’s preliminary review has not identified other new grantees on the first slate.

Based on the first slate, there are currently 33 fewer EOC awards than in the previous cycle. COE estimates that approximately $8 million remains available to fund additional EOC projects.

For programs absent from the initial slates, the uncertainty continues with only one business day left in the current budget year. The Department has indicated that high-scoring applicants falling within a “funding band” will be eligible to request a secondary review if they can document an administrative or scoring error. Notifications to unsuccessful applicants are still forthcoming.

“Behind every number on these spreadsheets is a program, and behind every program are people whose lives are being disrupted,” said COE Senior Vice President Angelica Vialpando. “For some communities, the loss of a Talent Search or EOC project means students will return to school without the advisers who helped them understand that college was possible. Adults trying to return to education may lose the people who helped them navigate admissions and financial aid. These programs cannot simply be replaced by moving dollars to a statewide entity hundreds of miles away. TRIO succeeds because trusted professionals are embedded in communities, build relationships over time, and meet students and families where they are. The loss of that infrastructure is devastating and can’t be overstated.”

COE is continuing to analyze the awards and cautions that the first slates do not represent the final results of either competition. Applicants not included on the initial slates should expect additional information from the Department today regarding whether their applications were unsuccessful or fall within the funding band.

COE is advising affected programs to prepare now for either possibility and will work directly with programs as they receive official notifications. COE is also advising programs that did not score high enough for funding to request a no-cost extension of up to 120 days to facilitate an orderly administrative closeout.

The initial results come after months of uncertainty surrounding the FY 2026 competitions and an intensive nationwide advocacy campaign by the TRIO community. Congress repeatedly pressed the Department to prioritize the continuity of services for students.

“These results demonstrate why advocacy matters,” Jones said. “The outcome we see today is painful and imperfect, but it could have been far worse without a TRIO community that refused to be silent. Every call to Congress, every letter, every student story, every meeting with a lawmaker, and every institution that spoke up helped protect these programs. Now we have to bring that same resolve to the next phase, supporting programs still awaiting answers, standing with communities that have lost services, and continuing to insist that every student, regardless of ZIP code or family income, deserves access to the opportunities TRIO provides.”

To learn more about the Federal TRIO Programs, visit coenet.org.

Media Inquiries

For media inquiries or to arrange an interview, please contact Terrance L. Hamm, vice president for communications and marketing at COE via email at [email protected] or call (202) 347-7430.

The U.S. Department of Education Releases Initial FY 2026 Talent Search and EOC Awards, Preserving Hundreds of TRIO Programs but Leaving Communities Behind

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