May Newsletter: Sustaining Open Education Work

May 29

Funding Strategies for Open Education

The funding environment for open education is changing. Philanthropic priorities are shifting, state budgets are uncertain, and questions about how to sustain this work are on a lot of people's minds. Join us June 3rd for a practical session on finding, asking for, and managing funding for open education initiatives, with a focus on private foundations and sources open advocates may not typically pursue.

funding webinar thumbnail — **Register Now: June 3rd Funding Webinar**

Featuring speakers from the Michelson 20MM Foundation, ECMC Foundation, PALNI, and Glendale Community College Foundation. Registration is open to everyone.

Grant Alert: Open Textbook Pilot

A major opportunity to apply for federal funding just opened—with an extremely tight deadline of June 23, 2026. The federal Open Textbook Pilot grant program offers funding for projects to create and expand the use of open textbooks. Grants are $1.5-2 million, and past recipients include LibreTexts, OpenRN and CO-DREAM OER.

The association is offering several ways to help members and the community take advantage of the opportunity:

Office Hours: Drop in on Friday, May 29 at 1:00 PM ET for a session co-hosted with SPARC. Register here.
Find Collaborators: Looking for partners to join your application? Fill out this form and we will help make connections.
Proposal Review: Association members may request a staff review of their proposal. Reach out at contact@opened.org for more information.

The Department of Education also put out a call for peer reviewers to score program applications. Anyone with expertise in open textbooks can apply.

Learn more

Greetings from Denver!

Photo of the Open Education Association's steering committee

Last week, the Open Education Association’s steering committee met in Denver for strategic planning. We discussed plans to expand member benefits, ramp up the association’s advocacy efforts, and drive strategic coordination as open education’s national voice. Stay tuned for exciting updates over the coming months.

Policy Win: Workforce Pell

The Department of Education published its final Workforce Pell Grant rules on May 19th. Last month, the Open Education Association filed a public comment urging the Department to clarify how the program’s accountability framework treats the cost of books and supplies, especially when those costs are automatically billed to students through “Inclusive Access” and similar programs. The Department responded by explicitly confirming that automatically billed course materials will count against a cap that determines whether a program keeps its Pell eligibility. This structure reinforces the benefits of building workforce programs with OER, which keeps costs low and predictable for both institutions and students.

Registration is open for the 2026 Open Education Conference, which will be held as a virtual event on October 27–29 with the theme The Space Between. Opening with a keynote by astronaut and science educator Dr. Sian Proctor, this year’s program challenges us to consider the possibilities that exist in the gaps we overlook.

Association members can register anytime at the discounted $90 rate, a savings of $60 off the standard rate. Select the registration + membership bundle to secure the discount and a one-year membership. Earlybird pricing for general registration ends August 31.

Resource Highlight

We offer a range of popular, field-wide resources. Check out our latest addition.

Open Education Glossary

Our newest resource is designed for anyone new or looking to brush up on terminology. Our glossary covers key terms, acronyms, and organization names that are commonly used in open education spaces.

View Resource

Member Profiles

Each month we’ll highlight Open Education Association members and what drives their work. Want to be featured? Share your story.

Victoria Brame

As a first-generation student, Victoria Brame gamified her way through the textbook scramble every semester so she could stay in school. Now she works to make sure the next student doesn't have to figure that out alone. Read More

Dr. Carlos Goller

When this microbiologist couldn't find a textbook for cutting-edge lab techniques, he handed the problem to his students. Now they're building open resources together and rethinking what it means to learn. Read More

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