Official funding opportunity
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) is accepting competitive applications for the Nursing Open Educational Resources (OER) Adoption track of the Open Educational Resources Grant Program, Round 5 Second Request for Applications, Appropriation Year 2027 (RFA 1801, issued October 16, 2026). THECB anticipates approximately 10 awards of an estimated $15,000 per applicant under this Nursing track. The agency estimates approximately $1 million across both Nursing and Workforce OER tracks; that larger figure is not an individual award.
Eligibility and program fit
Eligible applicants are Texas public institutions of higher education as defined by Texas Education Code § 61.003(8). Faculty-led projects must redesign two or three eligible undergraduate nursing courses using existing OpenStax Nursing Essentials OER and plan wider use in related courses. Relevant CIP codes are 51.38, 51.3801, 51.39 and 51.3901. Applicants previously funded in Round 5’s first RFA may apply only with different courses. Each institution may submit no more than one Nursing-track application. A collaborating institution is encouraged but not required for this Nursing track.
Deadline and submission
Applications must be received by November 20, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Central Time through THECB’s Grants Management System (GMS), submitted by an authorized institutional representative; paper and email submissions are not accepted. Questions must be sent to the designated OER program contact by November 6, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Central. A Notice of Intent is not required. The anticipated grant period begins on January 4, 2027, or execution of the award notice, whichever is later, and ends August 31, 2028.
Eligible spending and restrictions
Allowable costs include reasonable project personnel, grant-related travel, justified equipment and supplies, instructional design, stipends, digital production and other approved direct costs. Equipment and supplies generally may not exceed 50% of the project budget absent THECB approval. Indirect costs, unrelated salaries, foreign travel, construction, food and beverages, and post-project maintenance are prohibited. Funds may not supplant other funding. Created resources must be openly licensed or in the public domain and shared through the state OERTX repository. THECB pays an initial 50% after award execution/start and may release the remaining 50% after specified milestones and reporting; this is not an unconditional reimbursement of all expenses.
Official source
Verify the complete requirements, amendments and current application instructions against THECB’s controlling 48-page RFA 1801 and the official program page. Research verified October 22, 2026.