Final Rules Unveiled for 'i3' Innovation Fund

The U.S. Department of Education stuck to its guns in releasing final rules for the $650 million Investing in Innovation , or i3, grant program, standing firm in the face of criticism that its proposed guidelines demanded too much from applicants in the way of private-sector match and evidence to back up their proposals.

In the final rules and application for the program, released March 8, department officials left intact a demand that applicants secure 20 percent in matching funds from the private sector.

But in a nod to concerns that such a requirement could be burdensome, particularly to smaller districts and in a difficult economy, the department relaxed the timing so that prospective grant recipients don’t need to secure the private funding until they’ve been notified that they are...