The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) FSQ administers grants that are federally funded and overseen by the US Department of Education (USED), and local grants funded by the DC Council. Please note that other OSSE divisions administer grants, so the list below is not comprehensive.

Grants with competitions are noted. Otherwise, the grants are available to all eligible entities, and awards are calculated through formulas based in part on enrollment.

OSSE’s Office of Grants Management and Compliance releases an OSSE School Year Grants Forecast annually with a summary of expected grants for the current school year. Please note that all grants are contingent on the continued availability of federal or local funding; OSSE cannot guarantee that any grant will be available in future fiscal years.

Federally Funded Grants:

Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) grants:
The purpose of ESEA, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), is to provide local education agencies (LEAs) and their schools with supplemental financial resources to ensure all students have equitable access to a high-quality education, regardless of a student’s economic status or background. These funds supplement and support the programs and strategies that help all students in the District of Columbia thrive in school.

Consolidated Application Grants (Titles I-A, II-A, III-A, and IV-A)
Title I-A provides supplemental funds to LEAs and schools, with the intent that the extra support and resources must help all students have a fair, equal and significant opportunity to achieve academic proficiency on state standards and assessments. LEAs that serve kindergarten through grade 12 and have a high concentration of students from low-income households are eligible for the Title I-A grant.

Title II-A is a grant that provides supplemental financial assistance to LEAs and schools for the improvement of instructional quality of a school, particularly as it relates to the quality and effectiveness of educators in K-12 schools.

Title III-A is a grant that provides supplemental financial assistance to help ensure that all students have a fair, equal, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education, particularly related to the improvement of English language acquisition, enhancement, and academic achievement. Title III-A includes the Immigrant Children and Youth grant, for LEAs with large increases in immigrant student enrollment.

Title IV-A is a student support and academic enrichment grant that provides supplemental financial assistance to LEAs and schools to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of LEAs to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions to cultivate a safe and healthy environment for student learning, and/or improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.

Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC)
21st CCLC grants support the establishment or expansion of a broad array of services to students during non-school hours (i.e., before school, after school, on weekends, during the summer) or extended learning during regular school hours.

Title I, Part D (TIPD)
The TIPD grant is a federal education program that provides financial assistance to support the education of students who are placed in secure detention facilities. The grant provides funds to:

• Improve educational services so that students can meet challenging state academic content and achievement standards;
• Provide services so that students can successfully transition from institutionalization to further schooling or employment; and
• Prevent youth from dropping out of school and provide youth who have dropped out and youth returning from detention facilities with a support system to ensure their continued education.

Charter Schools Program (CSP)
CSP grants provide start-up funding to new, replicating, and expanding public charter schools in the District of Columbia which have approval from the DC Public Charter School Board to open a new school, replicate an existing educational model at a new campus, significantly expand student enrollment, add additional grade levels, or take over a closing charter school.

The CSP Planning and Implementation grant is a three-year grant that supports new schools as they establish strong operational systems and rigorous academic programs critical to successfully serving students.

The CSP Replication, Expansion, and School Takeover grants are two-year grants that create strong conditions for student learning through adding additional seats in high-quality charter schools with a proven track record of increasing student achievement for all learners.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
The IDEA Part B grant is provided by USED’s Office of Special Education Programs to support free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities.

IDEA Part B funds are provided annually through two sections:

• IDEA Part B, Section 611 – Funding for the provision of supplemental special education and related services to students with qualifying disabilities ages 3-21.
• IDEA Part B, Section 619 – Funding for the provision of supplemental special education and related services to children with qualifying disabilities ages 3-5.

Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR)
SOAR Act grants support the public charter sector through a combination of formula and competitive grants to public charter LEAs and nonprofit charter-support organizations. OSSE’s SOAR grant programs include:

Academic Quality Formula Grant: Public charter LEAs receive a per-pupil formula grant of no less than $50,000 annually to implement projects designed to have a direct and rapid impact of student achievement, either schoolwide or for specific subgroups of students.

Early Childhood Formula Grant: Public charter LEAs that enroll at least 40 percent 3- and 4-year-olds and meet Title I-A eligibility criteria receive a grant to assist with the implementation of supplementary activities that reinforce school readiness, including the development of literacy and mathematics skills.

Educator Pipeline Competitive Grant: Public charter LEAs or nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply for a grant to recruit, train and certify high-quality candidates new to teaching for teacher or teacher residency positions in public charter schools.

Third-Party Competitive Grant: Nonprofit charter support organizations are eligible to apply for a grant to support public charter LEAs either directly, through direct service to students or professional learning to teachers and school leaders, or indirectly, by enhancing the organizational capacity of charter LEAs by improving infrastructure related to data, fiscal management, board governance, and/or overall school operations.

Facilities Competitive Grant: Public charter LEAs are eligible to apply for a grant to renovate their facility to increase the total number of seats and/or increase the quality of existing seats.

McKinney-Vento (MKV) Homeless Assistance
The competitive MKV grant provides supplemental funding to help LEAs facilitate the identification, enrollment, attendance, and success in school of children and youth experiencing homelessness to ensure children and youth experiencing homelessness have equal access to the same free, appropriate public education provided to all other students.

Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) Stronger Connections
The BSCA Stronger Connections Grant is a competitive federal grant program focused on improving conditions for student learning through positive school climates. Participating schools are encouraged to implement a comprehensive plan incorporating evidence-based activities, programs, and practices to promote safer and healthier learning environments.

LEAs in the District may use this grant to fund school projects that expand or enhance their School Strengthening Work Plans and provide multi-tiered systems of support for student mental health and well-being.

Locally Funded Grants:

Community Schools Incentive Initiative (CSII)
Community Schools create and enhance school and community-based partnerships to ensure that students and their parents and caregivers have access to programs and services that help them achieve success in school and in life. CSII grants fund partnerships that coordinate educational, developmental, family, health, and after-school-care programs. These programs are based in public or public charter schools and activities occur during school and non-school hours. Community Schools serve students, families, and local communities with the objectives of improving academic achievement and building stronger relationships between schools and communities.

Show Up, Stand Out (SUSO)
The competitive SUSO grant enables community-based organizations (CBOs) to identify students with excessive absences and provide wraparound services that assist identified students and their families in addressing the practical, behavioral, financial, health, and other barriers that prevent them from attending school.