Teacher Vacancy Grant
The Teacher Vacancy Grant from the Illinois State Board of Education funds evidence-based strategies to help understaffed districts recruit, hire, and retain teachers through innovative, locally tailored approaches.
Funder: Illinois State Board of Education
Due Dates: October 1, 2026 (Full application) | October 20, 2026 (Q1 expenditure report) | January 20, 2027 (Q2 expenditure report) | April 20, 2027 (Q3 expenditure report) | May 31, 2027 (Amendment deadline, regular year) | July 20, 2027 (Q4 expenditure report) | July 30, 2027 (Annual program report) | August 1, 2027 (Amendment deadline, extended year)
Funding Amounts: $45,000–$125,000 base + $3,336.47 per unfilled teaching position; most awards range from ~$56,700 to $2.37M depending on need and district size; total FY27 pool: $15M.
Summary: Flexible state funding for Illinois’s 100 most understaffed school districts to recruit, hire, support, and retain teachers using evidence-based and locally determined strategies.
Key Information: Only pre-selected districts in EBF Tiers 1–3 with highest unfilled teaching positions are eligible; not a competitive grant.
Description
The Teacher Vacancy Grant, administered by the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), provides targeted, flexible funding to the 100 Illinois school districts with the most significant teacher shortages. This initiative supports districts in developing and implementing evidence-based strategies for recruiting, hiring, supporting, and retaining high-quality teachers. Districts have broad flexibility to use funds for innovative approaches such as signing bonuses, housing stipends, loan repayment, tuition support, teacher residencies, apprenticeships, and initiatives to improve school culture and retention. The program is formula-based (not competitive), with eligibility and award size determined by district-level data on unfilled teaching positions and funding tiers.
