SPARC: U.S. Congress Funds $5 Million Open Textbook Grant Program in 2018 Spending Bill

From Nicole Allen at SPARC:

In a landmark victory for the Open Education movement, the U.S. Congress has included ESG funds for a $5 million open textbook grant program in the Fiscal Year 2018 omnibus appropriations bill unveiled today. This marks the first major investment by Congress explicitly in open educational resources (OER) as a solution to the high cost of college textbooks, and underscores that course materials are a significant factor in making higher education affordable. The FY18 omnibus is expected to proceed swiftly to votes in the House and Senate and get signed into law this week.
We have posted the language creating the grant program on our policy page, and will continue to post more information as we have it.
The $5 million investment is the result of a grassroots campaign organized by SPARC and our coalition partner U.S. PIRG over the last month. SPARC coordinated a letter to Congressional leadership signed by more than 60 of our member libraries from 30 states, along with phone calls and tweets to key lawmakers from members of the SPARC and OpenCon communities. U.S. PIRG coordinated with student activists to generate calls and tweets on campus, and organized a letter signed by more than 50 student governments. Senator Dick Durbin (Illinois) and Congressman Jared Polis (Colorado) championed the provision inside the beltway.
The $5 million will be awarded as competitive grants to institutions of higher education through the U.S. Department of Education. Open textbooks created under the bill will be released under a permissive open license, ensuring everyone can freely use, share and build upon the content.

Learn More, Read the Complete SPARC Announcement

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