Charter Schools Program: Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools
Developer Grants provide funds for the opening of new charter schools and for the replication and expansion of existing charter schools.
Average award: $225,000 per year in FY2022
Number of awards: 8-10 awards in FY2022
Cost share/matching required: No
Most recent deadline: August 5, 2022
Expected Award Cycle: Annual
Historically, applications have been available in the summer (July 6, 2022) with a late-summer deadline for submission (August 5, 2022).
The Charter School Program Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools fund charter school developers on a competitive basis to enable them to open new charter schools. Charter schools that receive financial assistance provide programs of elementary or secondary education, or both, and may also serve students in early childhood education programs or postsecondary students.
The FY2022 solicitation included one competitive preference priority, and one invitational priority. The competitive preference priority was Promoting High-Quality Educator- and Community-Centered Charter Schools to Support Underserved Students; the invitational priority was Collaborations between Charter Schools and Traditional Public Schools or Districts that Benefit Students and Families across Schools. Please review current solicitation for details.
In 2022, a total of $4,000,000 was available to make awards ranging from $150,000-$300,000 per year and averaging $225,000 per year. The project period is up to 60 months. Funds may be used the following:
- Acquiring supplies, training, equipment (including technology), and educational materials (including developing and acquiring instructional materials)
- Carrying out necessary renovations to ensure that a new school building complies with applicable statutes and regulations, and minor facilities repairs (excluding construction)
- Providing one-time, startup costs associated with providing transportation to students to and from the charter school
- Carrying out community engagement activities, which may include paying the cost of student and staff recruitment
- Providing for other appropriate, non-sustained costs related to the replication or expansion of high-quality charter schools when such costs cannot be met from other sources
- Applicants must ensure that all costs included in the proposed budget are authorized under the Charter Schools Program (CSP) and are reasonable and necessary in light of the goals and objectives of the proposed project
Developers that have: (a) Applied to an authorized public chartering authority to operate a charter school; and (b) Provided adequate and timely notice to that authority. Additionally, the charter school must be located in a State with a State statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools and in which a State entity currently does not have a CSP State Entity grant. Eligibility in a State with a CSP State Educational Agency grant (CFDA 84.282A) is limited to grants for replication and expansion (CFDA 84.282E) and only if the Department has not approved an amendment to the State Educational Agency (SEA’s) approved grant application authorizing the State Educational Agency (SEA) to make sub grants for replication and expansion. Note: Charter schools that have been in operation for more than five years are eligible under CFDA number 84.282E for the expansion of a high-quality charter schools; however, they are
considered past the initial implementation phase and are ineligible for funds to open a charter school under CFDA 84.282B and ineligible for funds to replicate a charter school under CFDA 84.282E.
- $1,470,000 over five years to City Garden Montessori School (St. Louis, MO) to support an expansion project that will expand Kindergarten at the school’s current facility and also expand to a new site that will accommodate the first through eighth grade plus lab space, community areas, personnel offices, and supplemental instructional spaces.
- $1,345,000 to Mathematics, Science, and Technology Charter School (Philadelphia, PA) to open a new school that will replicate the MaST model that prepares students from kindergarten to post-secondary opportunities.
- $1,341,461 over five years to Académie Lafayette (Kansas City, Missouri) to expand the middle school to serve grades 9-12, growing to serve 276 students over the course of this project with an eventual enrollment of over 500 students at capacity.
Submit application via Grants.gov.
Porscheoy Brice
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Ave SW, room 3E209
Washington, DC 20202
202.987.1769
[email protected]