For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2026
Contact: Marissa Morrison
208-332-1591
[email protected]
BOISE, Idaho — The Idaho State Board of Education today announced that Idaho has been awarded a $4 million federal grant to accelerate the purposeful integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into teaching and learning at Idaho’s public colleges and universities.
Idaho was one of only two grantees in the “Priority One: AI and Higher Education Category” to receive the maximum award through the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Special Projects Program.
The grant, Accelerate Idaho: An AI-Powered Future for Teaching and Learning, advances the Board’s vision of promoting human-centered, ethical, and innovative AI use in higher education. Grant funds will support AI innovation in teaching, learning, and research, prioritizing the development of students’ technical skills and critical thinking across the state. Key components of the grant include statewide higher education AI coordination and collaboration across higher education institutions, funding for campus AI innovation projects designed to engage students and faculty with innovative teaching and learning tools, and funding to increase student access to and responsible use of high-powered AI tools, especially in rural Idaho.
“This is a big deal for Idaho,” Governor Brad Little (R-Idaho) said. “The Trump Administration has made strengthening America’s leadership in artificial intelligence a priority, and this grant helps Idaho deliver on that focus by preparing students with the skills they need to succeed in a rapidly evolving workforce.”
“America’s leadership in artificial intelligence matters, and how we use it matters just as much,” Idaho State Board of Education Executive Director Jennifer White said. “This grant is about the human side of AI—helping faculty, researchers and students build judgment, understanding and responsible use while keeping people, not technology, at the center of learning and work.”
This award builds on Idaho’s commitment to innovation in higher education and aligns with broader federal priorities advancing responsible AI use, workforce preparedness, and student success. Spending authority is subject to legislative approval.
About Idaho State Board of Education
The mission of the Board is “To drive improvement of the K-20 education system for the citizens of Idaho, focusing on quality, results, and accountability.”
