For Immediate Release:
September 4, 2026
Contact: Marissa Morrison
208-332-1591
mmorrison@edu.idaho.gov
$645,000 dedicated to the first year of launching seven AI literacy projects under the $4 million Accelerate Idaho federal grant
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Board of Education today announced seven AI Innovation Awards under Track 2 of Accelerate Idaho: An AI-Powered Future for Teaching and Learning, a $4 million initiative funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE). The seven competitive awards total $645,197 in initial funding and will support AI literacy and responsible AI use development projects. The projects were selected from sixteen proposals submitted to competitive review process by representatives from all eight of Idaho’s public colleges and universities.
“These projects are well-aligned with Board priorities. I’m also delighted to see the humanitarian goals reflected here: this work enhances learning for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; promotes hands-on experience for undergrads; enhances faculty engagement and experience; extends high-demand programs and future career opportunities into rural Idaho; and improves teacher education,” Liza Long, Idaho State Board of Education Director of Digital Learning and AI, said.
The funded projects:
- Idaho State University — BengalBot MCP ($300,000, 2-year project): Expands ISU’s locally hosted AI system, BengalBot, so students learn to build, configure, and audit AI tools directly through computer science and AI coursework, a campus-wide writing assistant, and a theater production management tool.
- Idaho State University — AI VIP (AI-Enabled Vertically Integrated Pathways) ($299,913, 4-year project): Pairs AI-supported advising and career-pathway tools with faculty and staff support to help first-generation students plan and stay on track toward a degree.
- College of Eastern Idaho — Building Critical AI Literacy in English 101/102 ($229,247, 2-year project): Develops openly licensed and integrated AI literacy curriculum for a first-year writing program, with training for full-time and adjunct faculty across the college.
- Boise State University — AI Literacy in the Disciplines ($299,998, 4-year project): Builds AI teaching capacity across academic departments through faculty implementation teams, an annual AI Institute, and discipline-specific instructional materials.
- Boise State University — AI for Independence (PEERS) ($299,999, 4-year project): Integrates AI literacy instruction into the Providing Exceptional Education and Raising Standards (PEERS) Program for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), providing learning support and employment preparation.
- University of Idaho — Preservice Teachers’ Two-Tier AI Curriculum ($299,743.00, 4-year project): Embeds AI literacy into teacher-preparation coursework across science, English language arts, and mathematics methods courses, preparing future K-12 teachers to use AI responsibly in their own classrooms.
- Lewis-Clark State College — Project AI-RISE (Artificial Intelligence – Rural Innovative Secure Education) ($150,000, 4-year project): Builds secure, rural-ready AI computing infrastructure to extend dual-credit AI and cybersecurity coursework to sixteen Region 2 school districts.
Each institution’s subaward agreement is expected to be finalized in the coming months, with projects launching over the 2026–2027 academic year. A call for proposals for Year 2 funding will be released in the next few weeks.
About Accelerate Idaho Accelerate Idaho is a four-year, $4 million grant awarded to the Idaho State Board of Education by the U.S. Department of Education’s FIPSE program (Award P116J251308), running January 2026 through December 2029. The initiative supports AI literacy and responsible AI use across Idaho’s eight public postsecondary institutions through two tracks: Track 1 delivers AI Catalyst Fellows, General Education Matriculation (GEM) Microgrants, and student-facing technology to all eight institutions, while Track 2 comprises the competitive AI Innovation Awards named above.
###