Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Non-Profit Third-Party Teacher Pipeline Organization Grants
Request for Applications Release Date: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019, 4:30 p.m.
The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) will issue a Request for Applications (RFA) for Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Non-Profit Third-Party Teacher Pipeline Organization (Teacher Pipeline) grant funds. SOAR Act Teacher Pipeline funds are available to District of Columbia (DC) charter local education agencies (LEAs) and third-party non-profit charter support organizations. The purpose of the funds is to impact the quality and quantity of the teacher supply for DC charter schools.
Eligibility and Selection Criteria: Eligible applicants are non-profit third-party charter school support organizations that have a demonstrated history of success working with DC charter schools on similar projects. Applicants must use funds to support projects designed to a) recruit, or partner with at least two LEAs or other organizations to recruit, high-quality candidates new to teaching for DC charter school teacher residency or teacher roles, and b) train and/or certify these teachers. Applicants are required to submit a letter of recommendation from a DC charter school with direct experience working with the organization as well as a complete list of all schools and districts to which the organization has provided similar services.
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Eligible applicants are DC charter schools, or a consortia of DC charter schools, working with non-profit third-party charter school support organizations that have a demonstrated history of success working with DC charter schools on similar projects. Applicants must use funds to support projects designed to a) partner with at least one non-profit third party organizations to recruit, high-quality candidates new to teaching for DC charter school teacher residency or teacher roles, and b) train and/or certify these teachers. Applicants are required to submit a letter of commitment from a non-profit third-party charter support organization as well as a complete list of all schools and districts to which the organization has provided similar services.
Applications will be scored in the following selection criteria: (1) project data; (2) needs assessment; (3) project description; (4) theory of action; (5) OSSE’s priority of meeting the needs of students with disabilities and other high-need populations; (6) logic model; (7) an overall description of the project; and (8) the application’s budget.
Length of Award: The duration of the Teacher Pipeline grant is for a period of two years from the grant award date.
Available Funding for the Award: At least $3,000,000 is available for awards through this RFA. OSSE will provide up to $500,000 per award. Grant awards will be made on a per-teacher basis and may not exceed $7,500 per teacher. Determinations regarding the number of competitive grant awards will be based on the quality and number of applications received and available funding. Successful applicants may be awarded amounts less than requested. Awards are limited to one per organization. Grant funds shall only be used to support activities authorized by the relevant statutes and included in the applicant’s submission.
Determinations regarding the number of competitive grant awards will be based on the quality and number of applications received and available funding. Successful applicants may be awarded amounts less than requested.
Application Process: A review panel or panels will be convened to review, score, and rank each application for a competitive grant. The review panel(s) will be composed of external, neutral, qualified, professional individuals selected for their expertise, knowledge or related experiences. Each application will be scored against a rubric and applications will have multiple reviewers to ensure accurate scoring. Upon completion of its review, the panel(s) shall make recommendations for awards based on the scoring rubric(s). OSSE will make all final award decisions. Applications must be submitted prior to 3 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5, 2020. OSSE estimates that it will award grants by Monday, Jan. 6, 2020; however this date may change.
The mandatory pre-application webinar will be held on the following dates:
- Teacher Pipeline Grants – Friday, Nov. 1, 2019, from 1-2 p.m. Register
- Teacher Pipeline Grants – Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2019, from 10-11 a.m. Register
Each interested organization must have at least one representative attend one of the above webinars in order to meet the attendance requirement for this grant. Webinar attendance is tracked electronically through registration and online attendance. The organization representative should be someone who is familiar with the organization’s past teacher pipeline work with charter schools or a representative from the applicant LEA(s).
To receive more information on these grants, please contact:
Karin Gilder
Office of the State Superintendent of Education
1050 First St. NE, Fifth Floor, Washington, DC 20002
Email: [email protected]
The RFA for these competitive grant programs will be available on OSSE’s website. All applications will be submitted through the Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS) at grants.osse.dc.gov.
Related Content: Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act Grant
