AtlanticOER Mini Logo

French
French

Grants

opens in a new window Apply for OER Grant
opens in a new window Successful Applications

Submission Deadline: OER Grant Applications are open for the 2026 cycle. Applications are due February 6th 2026.

Successful applicants for 2026 grants will be notified in mid March. Funds will be disbursed to the lead applicant's institutional grant office or equivalent as a full lump sum in April.

The AtlanticOER Development Grants Program is made possible through funding from the four Atlantic provincial governments through the Council of Atlantic Ministers of Education and Training (CAMET). AtlanticOER Development Grants are intended to encourage and support educators in the Atlantic Region in the adaptation, adoption, creation, and curation of open educational resources (OER), and to increase access to course materials for students. The Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) defines OERs as “free to use and openly licensed teaching and learning materials." As stated by leading open education proponent David Wiley, “‘open content’ describes a copyrightable work that is licensed in a way that ‘provides users with free and perpetual permission to engage in the 5R activities which are retain, reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute.”


These grants are intended for individuals, departments, groups, and institutions (e.g., educators, teaching and learning centres, libraries, and OER working groups) in the Atlantic Provinces to help achieve the following objectives:
  • To support the creation or adaptation of open textbooks and ancillary materials, such as PowerPoint slides, quiz banks, images, and other digital study or interactive aids
  • To create a variety of OERs developed for use by educators and students in credit-bearing courses
  • To establish supportive events for the development of content for OERs, such as sprints (a collaborative in-person or virtual event to create or adapt an open textbook or ancillary resources)
  • To distribute funds to maximize direct benefit to a wide range of student learners and inquiry across a diversity of disciplines

There are 3 different tiers of funding that applicants can apply for. Each tier represents a different scope and type of project. OER Sprint projects are also eligible for grant funding. The three tiers are:

This funding is intended for the development of a new open textbook. The topic should not be covered in an already existing open textbook. This tier is meant for creation projects at a larger scale.
This funding is intended for substantive adaptation projects. Sometimes, it can be possible to find an open textbook that covers foundational knowledge, but which needs to be adjusted. For example, the textbook might need adjustments to ensure it adheres to local educational standards, adjustments might be made to make it relevant to the local context (eg, an American business textbook may need adjustments to make it suitable for a Canadian business context), or new examples and interactive elements may be added to a book.
This funding is intended for smaller creation projects. Ancillary materials can be defined as course materials that are meant to supplement and support a textbook. Examples of ancillary materials include: slide decks, interactive tutorials, and quiz and test banks. Often, ancillary materials can enhance student learning.

Who Can Apply?

At least one applicant must be currently affiliated with a publicly funded post-secondary institution in the Atlantic region and either be engaged in or proposing the adaptation or creation of the OER for a credit-bearing course at their institution.  At least one applicant must be able to assign readings for the credit bearing course for which the OER is intended.  Single, joint, or team applications are all encouraged.


Eligible Expenses

  • Support: student research assistants; persons with a particular expertise/skill set not found at the applicant’s institution
  • Development: Tools needed to develop the necessary ancillary materials that will be a part of the OER
  • Sprint Events: Resources needed for hosting any sprint events. 

Ineligible Expenses

  • Covering administrative overhead 
  • Paying costs for conferences and conference travel 
  • Fees paid to commercial publishers to publish a book open access with said publisher 
  • Paying salaries for any individual already employed by the post-secondary institution. Exceptions are made for anyone who will be taking release time and will experience a reduction in income. It is also possible to pay individuals for a fixed period of time where they are not making their usual income (e.g., in the case where an individual does not make their income during the summer months, it is permissible to pay them for work during those summer months). 

AI Use in OER Creation

CAAL-CBPA expects the following from all AtlanticOER Development Grant Projects:

  • The use of AI in a proposed project must adhere to any institutional policies from the applicant’s affiliated institution. For projects that are a cross-institutional collaboration, the proposed project must adhere to all institutional policies.
  • Applicants must complete the AI Use section of the Development Grant application and describe the tools, nature of the use of AI, and any interactions with AI that students may have in the future.
  • Should there be a change in the plans for the use of AI during the project, successful grant recipients must get all changes approved by the AtlanticOER Lead (oer@caul-cbua.cacreate new email)

The AtlanticOER Development Grant Adjudication Sub-Committee will review the AI Use section of all applications and determine whether the use of AI is appropriate for the project. The Committee reserves the right to disqualify any applications which do not adhere to institutional policies, or which do not use AI appropriately.

When developing their proposed projects, we ask that applicants consider the potential future implications of their use of AI with respect to copyright law. Right now, it is unknown how AI drafted works will be treated under copyright law. It is possible, given that AI is the instrument generating content, that AI-generated content will not be subject to copyright law. Should this be the case, authors will not retain their copyright and therefore be unable to openly license their work. In the United States, authors have not been able to register copyright for any content generated by AI. Moreover, there are ongoing cases concerning certain generative AI tools, since these tools have been trained on datasets that were obtained by breaking copyright law. Please use caution when considering how you might be using AI in your work and which tools you use.

  • A reasonable description of the development of the OER
  • The duration of the project, including a project timetable
  • A detailed assessment of costs of the project
  • An assessment of the potential impact on the student experience
  • A description of how you will measure success (e.g. improved access to curriculum, new partnerships, number of adoptions, money saved by students as a result, etc.)
  • A commitment to be accessible for those with disabilities (e.g. viewable by screen readers)
  • The inclusion of plans to use the OER in subsequent semesters
  • A plan to maintain the currency and relevancy of the OER
  • Agreement that the end product will be open as possible, with an Creative Commons license (it is understood that indigenous traditional knowledge materials may require more restrictive licensing per specific cultural requirements. All exemptions must be sent to oer@caul-cbua.cacreate new email for approval prior to applying)
  • Completion of the required forms
  • Projects must commence in the year for which the grant is awarded
  • The project will be completed in 2 years
  • The project will apply a Creative Commons License to the deliverable(s), except when exemptions have been approved by the AtlanticOER Lead
  • The OER will be as accessible as possible and follow WCAG 2.1 Standards
  • The OER will be compliant with all institutional policies
  • The OER will be used in a credit bearing course and in all subsequent semesters
  • The recipient will complete progress reports throughout the duration of the project, complete a final report at the end of the project, and will complete student evaluations of the OER
  • The Development Grant will be acknowledged in all publications and presentations that are a direct result of the research and development accomplished through my Grant.
Proposals will be adjudicated by the CAAL-CBPA OER Committee. This Committee is composed of the six (6) CAAL-CBPA members plus one CAAL-CBPA Board member.
The Committee will assess all proposals using a single-blind approach. This means that the CAAL-CBPA AtlanticOER Lead will know the identities of individuals submitting proposals, but during the review process, the members of the Committee will not. It will be the responsibility of the AtlanticOER Lead to verify that the proposers meet the requirements outlined under “Eligibility Criteria” and have submitted the proper documentation specified under “Submission of Proposals”.

Proposals for funding are judged on:
  • Quality of the project description and needs assessment
  • Their potential impact on student experience in the form of high-quality materials, maximum access (e.g., Creative Commons licenses), open and innovative pedagogy, and cost savings to students.
  • Quaity of the accessibility plan
  • Appropriateness of timeline and budget
  • Appropriate AI use (when applicable)
  • Appropriate Creative Commons License selection (unless exemption granted)