Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Charter School Program (CSP): CSP Grants to State Entities, Assistance Listing Number 84.282A | ED GRANTS 042424 006

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 042424 006

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Charter School Program (CSP) Grants to State Entities (Assistance Listing Number 84.282A) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education that supports the creation and growth of charter schools through state-level grantmaking. The program is authorized under Title IV, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j). Instead of funding individual schools directly at the federal level, this competition funds qualified state entities, and those state entities then run subgrant competitions to support eligible charter school developers. The overall goal is to increase the number of high-quality charter schools by helping open new charter schools and by supporting the replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools already demonstrating success.

Under this opportunity, a funded state entity uses its federal award primarily to make subgrants to eligible applicants for charter school startup and growth activities. In addition to subgrantmaking, the state entity can use funds to provide technical assistance to charter developers and to authorized public chartering agencies (authorizers). That technical assistance can cover practical needs tied to launching or scaling schools, and it can also support stronger oversight and accountability. A notable feature of this program is its emphasis on authorizing quality: state entities may work with authorizers to improve how charters are approved, monitored, and held accountable, including building capacity to conduct fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools. The notice also makes clear that state entities may reserve funds for grant administration functions, such as monitoring subgrants for performance, fiscal integrity, and regulatory compliance, consistent with the federal grants management requirements at 2 CFR 200.332(d).

The program is designed to benefit charter schools serving elementary and secondary students in states that have a specific state statute authorizing charter schools. While the core focus is K-12, the description notes that charter schools receiving funds may also serve children in early childhood education programs or postsecondary students, which can matter for models that include pre-K components or early college/high school to college bridge designs, where allowable under state law and the program rules. The key takeaway is that the grant is meant to strengthen the charter school pipeline and the supporting infrastructure in a state, not simply to provide one-time startup dollars.

Eligibility is limited to state entities in states with an applicable charter school law, but a major constraint is that only one active CSP State Entity grant can operate in a state at a time. Under ESEA section 4303(e)(1), no state entity may receive a new grant for use in a state where a state entity is currently using a CSP State Entity grant. Practically, that means if more than one state entity applies from the same state and more than one application scores high enough to be fundable, the Department will fund only the highest-scoring application from that state. It also means many states are explicitly ineligible if they already have an active CSP State Entity grant that is not in its final budget period, or is in its final budget period but the grantee plans to request a one-time no-cost extension. The notice lists the states in that ineligible category as Alabama, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

At the same time, the notice identifies situations where states can apply even if there is a current CSP State Entity grant, specifically when that current grant is operating under a no-cost extension. States in that category (and therefore eligible to apply under this competition) are Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island. In those states, the Department will accept applications from the current state entity grantees as well as from other eligible state entities in the same state that do not currently hold the grant. If a new award is made in a state where the existing grant is in a no-cost extension (or in its final budget period and no extension is requested), the existing grantee must essentially wrap up: it must obligate remaining funds, complete grant and subgrant activities, and begin closeout (liquidation and stopping new costs) before the extension or performance period ends. The notice also mentions that applicants for the new award may request a waiver under ESEA section 4303(d)(5) to allow a second subgrant within a five-year period for eligible applicants that previously received a subgrant from the current state entity grantee but cannot finish their activities before the old grant expires, without forcing those applicants to meet the usual requirement of demonstrating three years of improved educational results under ESEA section 4303(e)(2).

The opportunity also clarifies a special case involving Ohio: states where a State Educational Agency (SEA) has an older CSP grant for SEAs awarded under the No Child Left Behind-era authority (pre-FY 2017) may still be eligible to apply for a CSP State Entity grant under this competition, so long as no other state entity in that state has a current CSP State Entity grant that is not in its final budget period and not operating under a no-cost extension. In other words, the presence of that older SEA grant does not automatically block eligibility for this State Entity competition in the way that an active State Entity grant generally would.

From the basic funding opportunity data provided, the opportunity is titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Charter School Program (CSP): CSP Grants to State Entities" with Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 042424 006. It is a discretionary grant, categorized under Education, administered by the Department of Education, with an original application closing date of June 13, 2024. The listing indicates an expected six awards, and it includes an award ceiling field but without a specific dollar amount in the text provided. Eligible applicants are described broadly as state governments and others, but the narrative eligibility requirements in the notice narrow that down to qualifying state entities in states with charter school statutes, subject to the one-grant-per-state limitation and the current-grant status rules described above.

Finally, the description repeatedly stresses that what is presented is only a synopsis and that the controlling requirements are in the official Federal Register notice, along with the Department of Education Revised Common Instructions for Applicants (published December 7, 2022). Those documents govern details applicants typically need to finalize an application, including submission requirements, performance measures, priorities, contact information, and the exact rules for applying and administering the grant under federal regulations.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Charter School Program (CSP): CSP Grants to State Entities, Assistance Listing Number 84.282A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.282.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-04-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others.

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