Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Promise Neighborhoods (PN) Programs Assistance Listing Number 84.215N | ED GRANTS 011921 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 011921 001

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Promise Neighborhoods (PN) competition (Assistance Listing 84.215N) is a discretionary grant program run by the U.S. Department of Education under the authority of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended. The central aim is to dramatically improve both academic results and broader developmental outcomes for children who live in some of the most distressed communities in the United States. In practical terms, the program is built around the idea that children do better when a neighborhood has a coordinated, high-quality pipeline of supports that starts early (school readiness) and continues through the K-12 years and into successful transitions to graduation and postsecondary access. The PN approach focuses on place-based work in a defined neighborhood and expects applicants to organize a coherent set of services and supports that function as a community-based continuum rather than a collection of disconnected initiatives.

The program is explicitly targeted to neighborhoods with high concentrations of low-income residents and multiple, overlapping indicators of distress. The notice points to examples of those challenges, such as high rates of poverty, childhood obesity, academic failure, and juvenile delinquency, adjudication, or incarceration. The program is also tied to school improvement needs under ESEA, emphasizing service in areas where schools are implementing comprehensive support and improvement or targeted support and improvement activities under section 1111(d). In other words, the Department is directing funds toward communities where the local conditions and school performance indicators show substantial need, and where coordinated neighborhood and school strategies are intended to reinforce one another.

A key program expectation is equity and accessibility in design and delivery. The notice stresses that all strategies included in the continuum of solutions must be accessible to children with disabilities and to English learners. That requirement affects not only what services are offered, but how they are delivered, how families can access them, and how the overall plan ensures meaningful participation and benefit for these populations. Applicants should therefore anticipate the need for thoughtful accommodations, language access, inclusive program design, and data practices that can demonstrate reach and outcomes for these groups.

From an eligibility standpoint, the competition is open to a range of organization types that can serve as lead applicants for a neighborhood-based partnership. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, other Native American tribal organizations, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The listing also references an "Others" category with additional eligibility clarification in the official notice, signaling that some additional entities may be eligible depending on the specific definitions and requirements contained in the Federal Register application notice.

The opportunity described was posted with key dates for the 2021 cycle. Applications became available January 19, 2021, and the deadline to submit applications was March 5, 2021. The Department also set February 3, 2021 as the deadline for a notice of intent to apply, which was strongly encouraged to help the agency plan for application review, but was not mandatory and did not obligate an applicant to submit a full proposal. A pre-application informational meeting was scheduled for January 29, 2021 and offered via webinar, with details posted on the program website. The intergovernmental review deadline was May 4, 2021, which is relevant for applicants in jurisdictions that participate in the intergovernmental review process.

In terms of funding, the opportunity anticipated making around seven awards, with an award ceiling of $6,000,000. Because this is a discretionary grant competition, final award amounts, the number of awards, and any additional funding rules depend on the official Federal Register notice, including any priorities, selection criteria, performance measures, and administrative requirements that govern how proposals are scored and how grantees are later monitored.

Applicants were directed to rely on the official Federal Register notice as the controlling source for the competition requirements, including submission instructions, priorities, and performance measures. The notice also points applicants to the Department of Education "Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs" (published February 13, 2019) for standardized directions on obtaining and submitting an application. For questions, the listed program contact for this opportunity was Adrienne Hawkins at the U.S. Department of Education, including a phone number and email address for prospective applicant inquiries.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Promise Neighborhoods (PN) Programs Assistance Listing Number 84.215N" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.215.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 19, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 05, 2021 Applications Available January 19, 2021. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply February 3, 2021. Notice of Intent to Apply The Department will be able to review grant applications more efficiently if we know the approximate number of applicants that intend to apply. Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of their intent to submit an application. To do so, please email the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT with the subject line Intent to Apply,aposapos and include the applicantaposs name and a contact personaposs name and email address. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided. Date of Pre-Application Meetings The Department will hold a pre-application meeting on January 29, 2021 via webinar for prospective applicants. Detailed information regarding pre-application webinar(s) will be provided on the PN website at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-discretionary-grants-support-services/school-choice-improvement-programs/promise-neighborhoods-pn/. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications March 5, 2021. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review May 4, 2021. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Adrienne Hawkins, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, room 4W220, Washington, DC 20202. Telephone (202)453-5638. Email Adrienne.Hawkins@ed.gov.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $6,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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