NC Digital Learning Initiative Instructional Innovation Grant
Year one,
fully funded.
NC schools can apply for a Digital Learning Initiative grant to cover a Kinwise Coach pilot and we support you through the application process.
—THE OPPORTUNITY
Up to $50,000
Traditional districts
A grant designed for this work
NCDPI's Digital Learning Initiative Instructional Innovation Grant can fund the purposeful integration of instructional technology alongside a structured professional learning plan. Kinwise Coach qualifies under Pathway 2: Innovative Technologies. The grant period runs August 2026 through June 2027.
Up to $20,000
Charter Schools
June 18, 2026
Application Deadline
—WHAT’S INCLUDED
A full implementation, not just a license
A Kinwise Coach grant partnership covers everything needed to implement responsibly and build capacity your district keeps after the grant year ends.
Platform access
A cohort of teachers get AI coaching throughout the year
Co-design participation
Your teachers and leaders shape the product roadmap directly
Implementation support
Onboarding, monthly check-ins, and a dedicated point of contact
NCEdConnect presentation
Required grant deliverable and built into implementation support
After year one, the platform sustains from your existing professional development budget at a per-teacher cost comparable to PD workshops. No reapplication required. No new headcount.
Privacy onboarding
Walk through data architecture and how to communicate protections to teachers and families.
Professional learning
Structured sessions facilitated across the year, building internal capacity
This isn't a deployment. It's a partnership.
NC schools that partner with Kinwise in 2026–27 have a seat at the table, shaping the privacy architecture, giving direct feedback on the coaching experience, and influencing what gets built next.
Your district doesn't have to accept a finished product built for someone else's context. You help build the one that fits yours.
—HOW IT WORKS
You apply. We support the process.
Only public school units can submit a DLI grant application. Here's how we work together:
We have a 30-minute conversation
We look at your district's context, your coaching infrastructure, your data, your capacity, and assess whether this is a fit.
We provide application planning support
We help you think through the structure, connect your district's needs to the grant rubric, and provide relevant language you can adapt and make your own.
Your district submits
The application reflects your voice and data. You submit through NCDPI’s official process before June 18.
Implementation begins August 2026
If awarded, we get to work. Grant selections are announced August 6, 2026.
Let's talk before the window closes.
If you're interested in exploring a grant partnership, reach out now. A 30-minute conversation is enough to know if it's a fit and if it is, we can start on the application immediately.
Want to learn more about our process of building Kinwise Coach?
Every other week I write about what I'm learning about AI coaching. I’ll share my honest reflections from the build, conversations with educators, and the research shaping this work.