SUNY OER Gateway Impact Initiative

Purpose

A newly created Academic Innovation Grant, the SUNY OER Gateway Impact Initiative supports the adoption and sustained use of high-quality, accessible Open Educational Resources (OER) in gateway courses in mathematics, English, biology, and chemistry. Projects outside of these gateway courses are not eligible for funding during this grant cycle. The initiative funds scalable efforts to expand OER in gateway courses and improve student success and access.

Supported activities include:

• Multi-section course adoption or departmental implementation
• Faculty engagement and capacity-building
• Accessibility improvements

Project Criteria and Requirements

Proposals must meet the following criteria:

• Focus on eligible gateway courses (mathematics, English, biology, or chemistry)
• Prioritize approaches that can scale across multiple sections, instructors, or campuses
• Be endorsed by a campus Dean or Provost to ensure alignment with institutional priorities
• Clearly describe:
  • Project scope
  • Expected student impact
  • Implementation timeline
  • Plans for scale or sustainability
• Include a plan to report course sections through the SUNY SIRIS student information portal

Priority will be given to proposals from campuses serving higher proportions of Pell-eligible students.

Application Guidelines – Apply here

Application questions in a Word Doc here (note: please use the link above to complete the application).

This opportunity is intended for SUNY campuses planning to expand or strengthen OER use during the 2026–27 academic year. Applications may be submitted by OER leads, librarians, instructional designers, academic departments, or other campus representatives coordinating OER work. Campuses may submit one coordinated proposal or multiple submissions focused on gateway courses.

Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through December 31, 2026 for the 2026-27 academic year.

Projects may span more than one academic year; however, participating campuses are required to submit a final report when the funded work is completed.

Funding and Scope Guidance (Illustrative)

Funding requests should reflect the scope of activities and potential for impact and scale. The table below provides illustrative examples of how funding may align with different project types. These ranges are intended as guidance only and not as fixed limits.

Questions and Application Link

Application Link
Questions? Contact oer@suny.edu