Expanding Opportunities Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants to State Entities

What's New

We are withdrawing the notice inviting applications for the Chater Schools State Entities competition that was published on January 21, 2025.  See the link below for more information.

84.282A CSP State Entity Withdrawal of FY25 NIA and Cancellation_1-30-25

FY 2024 SE Grants Competition

On September 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education's Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program — Grants to State Entities (SE Grants) awarded $143,009,209 in new grants to fund six State Entities across the country.

For more information about the FY 2024 CSP SE Grants competition, please visit the Applicant Information and Eligibility tab.

For more information about previous awards, please visit the Awards tab.

Program Description

The CSP State Entities program is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j). Prior to enactment of the ESSA, the ESEA, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), authorized the Secretary to make awards to State educational agencies to enable them to conduct charter school subgrant programs in their States. The CSP State Entities program is under new law and has different eligibility requirements, priorities, definitions, application requirements, and selection criteria.

The major purposes of the CSP are to expand opportunities for all students, particularly traditionally underserved students, to attend charter schools and meet challenging State academic standards; provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of public charter schools; increase the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the United States; evaluate the impact of charter schools on student achievement, families, and communities; share best practices between charter schools and other public schools; encourage States to provide facilities support to charter schools; and support efforts to strengthen the charter school authorizing process.

The CSP grants to State Entities (84.282A) is a competitive grant program that enables State entities to award subgrants to eligible applicants in their State to open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools and to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools. Grant funds must also be used by the State entity to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies in opening and preparing for the operation of new charter schools, or replicating or expanding high-quality charter schools; and to work with authorized public chartering agencies to improve authorizing quality, including developing capacity for, and conducting, fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools.

Applicant Information

The Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program — Grants to State Entities (SE Grants) was published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024, and can be accessed here. The deadline for submission of a grant application under this competition was 11:59:59 p.m., Eastern Time, on June 13, 2024. Awards for FY 2024 SE Grants were made on September 27, 2024.

Additional SE Grant Award information can be accessed on the Awards tab.

Eligibility

State entities with a state statute specifically authorizing the establishment of charter schools were eligible to apply. Under section 4303(e)(1) of the ESEA, no State entity may receive a grant under this program for use in a State in which a State entity is currently using a grant received under this program.

State entity means-->

1. A State educational agency;
2. A State charter school board;
3. A Governor of a State; or
4. A charter school support organization.

Eligible applicant, when used with respect to subgrants made by a State entity, means a developer that has --

1. applied to an authorized public chartering authority to operate a charter school; and
2. provided adequate and timely notice to that authority.

Funding Restrictions:
A State entity receiving a grant under this program shall:

• use not less than 90 percent of the grant funds to award subgrants to eligible applicants for activities related to opening and preparing for the operation of new charter school or to replicate or expand high-quality charter schools;
• reserve not less than seven percent of funds to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies in opening and preparing for the operation of new charter schools or to replicate or expand high-quality charter schools and in improving authorizing quality, including developing capacity for, and conducting, fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools; and
• reserve not more than three percent of funds for administrative costs, which may include technical assistance.

Point of Clarification: Administrative costs and technical assistance costs combined cannot exceed 10% due to the "no less than 90%" subgrant requirement. However, technical assistance must be not less than seven percent and administrative costs can be no more than three percent.

Note: A charter school developer in a State in which no State entity has an application for a grant approved under ALN 84.282A (State entities program or previously State Educational Agencies program) may apply for funding directly from the Department under the CSP Developers Grants competitions. Additional information about the CSP Developers Grants competitions is available at here.

Previous Competition

Applicant Information

The Notice Inviting Applications (NIA) for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program — Grants to State Entities (SE Grants) was published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024. The deadline for submission of a grant application under this competition was 11:59:59p.m. ET on June 13, 2024.

FY 2024 CSP SE Notice Inviting Applications

Posted in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024 PDF HTML

FY 2024 Competition Timeline

• Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: June 13, 2024
• Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: August 12, 2024

FY 2024 Competition Information

Pre-Application Technical Assistance Webinars:

• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar - State Entity Grant Competition ALN 84.282A: This webinar was held on Wednesday, May 8, 2024. During the webinar the Department reviewed the competition eligibility requirements, priorities, selection criteria, and application requirements. The Department also reviewed the steps required to complete the Grants.gov registration process and answered participants' questions.
  • Recording: State Entity Grant Competition
  • Slides: State Entity Grant Competition
  • Transcripts: PDF
• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar — Assessing Organizational Readiness for the State Entity Grant: This webinar was held on Thursday, May 9, 2024 and is designed to help potential applicants assess their operational readiness.
  • Recording: State Entity Grant Competition
  • Slides: Assessing Organizational Readiness for the State Entity Grant
  • Transcripts: PDF
• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar - Using Technical Assistance Set Aside Funds on 'High-Impact' Activities: This webinar was held on Friday, May 10, 2024 and is designed to help potential applicants develop a TA plan that supports their proposed project.
  • Recording: Using Technical Assistance Set Aside Funds on "High-Impact" Activities
  • Slides: Using Technical Assistance Set Aside Funds on 'High-Impact' Activities
  • Transcripts: PDF
• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar - Budget Webinars:
  • Developing the Grant Project Budget Part One: This webinar was held on Monday, May 13, 2024 and is designed to help potential applicants prepare their CSP SE grant proposal budget. Common budget pitfalls, CSP's budget review process and administration, technical assistance and subgrant set-aside funding are covered in this webinar.
    • Recording: Developing the Grant Project Budget Part One
    • Slides: Developing the Grant Project Budget Part One
    • Transcripts: PDF
  • Developing the Grant Project Budget Part Two: This pre-recorded webinar is designed to help potential applicants prepare their CSP SE grant proposal budget. The application budget components and budget categories are covered in this webinar.
    • Recording: Developing the Grant Project Budget Part Two
    • Slides: Developing the Grant Project Budget Part Two
    • Transcripts: PDF
• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar for CSP SE Grantees - Logic Models and SMART Performance Measures: This pre-recorded webinar is designed to help potential applicants create a logic model and develop SMART performance measures.
  • Recording: Logic Models and SMART Performance Measures Webinar
  • Slides: Logic Models and SMART Performance Measures
  • Transcripts: PDF
• FY 2024 Pre-Application Webinar for CSP SE Grantees — Approaches to Addressing the Needs Analysis: This pre-recorded webinar is designed to help potential applicants respond to the Application Requirement to provide a description of the application each eligible applicant desiring to receive a subgrant will be required to submit, which must include, among other requirements, a needs analysis and description of the need for the proposed project.
  • Recording: Approaching to Addressing the Needs Analysis
  • Transcripts: PDF

Application Package and Submission:

• SE Application Package Instructions: Please note this is an electronic copy for you to download and use as a guide only.
• Applications must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov system at http://www.grants.gov/.
• Please do not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to U.S. Department of Education staff.

Hard Copy Applications:

For hard copy application packages, contact:

Charter Schools Program, State Entity Grant Program

U.S. Department of Education

400 Maryland Avenue SW

Washington, DC 20202

Email: SE_Competition@ed.gov

Required Application Forms:

Note: Most of the forms listed below are in the electronic application package in Grants.gov. The following is a list of the required forms that must be completed, examples of which can be found here.

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) — mandatory
• Dept. of Education Supplemental Information for SF-424 — mandatory
• ED GEPA427 Form — mandatory
• ED 524 BUDGET INFORMATION NON-CONSTRUCTION PROGRAMS — mandatory
• Grants.gov Lobbying Form (ED-80-0013) — mandatory
• ED Abstract Form — mandatory
• Project Narrative Attachment Form — mandatory
• Budget Narrative Attachment Form — mandatory
• Project Objectives and Performance Measures Form — mandatory
• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) — optional
• Other Attachments — optional

Registering on Grants.gov and SAM.gov:

• REGISTER EARLY — Grants.gov registration involves many steps including registration on SAM (SAM.gov), which usually takes approximately 7 to 10 business days, but can take longer depending on the completeness and accuracy of the data entered into the SAM database by an applicant.
• You may begin working on your application while completing the registration process, but you cannot submit an application until all of the Registration steps are complete.
• Please note that once your SAM registration is active, it will take 24-48 hours for the information to be available in Grants.gov, and before you can submit an application through Grants.gov.
• For detailed information on the Registration Steps, please go to here. Please note that your organization will need to update its SAM registration annually.
• To register in SAM.gov, click on the "Get Started" link under the "Register Your Entity…" heading in SAM.gov.
• Grantees, and other entities wanting to do business with the U.S. Department of Education (e.g., entities applying for a grant), that are not already registered in SAM.gov must complete the "Register Entity" registration option and NOT the "Get a Unique Entity ID" option. The "Get a Unique Entity ID" option, which is not a full registration, is only available to entities for reporting purposes. Failing to complete the "Register Entity" option may result in loss of funding, loss of applicant eligibility, and/or delays in receiving a grant award.
• Information about SAM is available at SAM.gov. To further assist you with registering in SAM or updating your existing SAM registration, see the Quick Start Guide for Grant Registrations and the Entity Registration Video here.

FY 2024 CSP SE Grant Eligibility Information

States with Active CSP SE Grants: States in which a State entity currently has an approved CSP SE grant application under section 4303 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA), that is actively running subgrant competitions are 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. We will not consider applications from these states.

Included in the chart below is the amount of CSP State Entities funding per fiscal year since FY 2017.

*New Awards and Continuation Awards include supplemental and forward funding when applicable.

LEGISLATION

• Title IV, Part C of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), Section 4301 - 4311 (20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j). PDF (485 KB)
• Charter School Program Assurances Grants to State Entities MS Word (31KB)

REGULATIONS

• 2022 Final Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria-Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP)-Grants to State Entities (State Entity Grants); Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants); and Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools and for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (Developer Grants) (87 FR 40406)
• 2015 Notice of Final Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria; Charter Schools Program Grants to State Educational Agencies (80 FR 34201)
• Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)
• Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR 200)
• Uniform Guidance Technical Assistance for Grantees (Uniform Guidance TA)

GUIDANCE

Nonregulatory Guidance

• ESSA Flexibility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) (December 2017) PDF (190 KB)
• ESSA Flexibility Webinar Slides
• Dear Colleague Letter — ESSA flexibilities for CSP Grantees (November 2017) PDF (196 KB)
• Dear Colleague Letter — Guidance Regarding the Oversight of Charter Schools Program and Regulatory Requirements, Including the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (August 2016) PDF (226 KB)
• Charter Schools Program Nonregulatory Guidance (updated January 2014) PDF (376 KB)
• School Climate and Discipline Resources
• Title I Requirements on Charter Schools Non-Regulatory Guidance (July 2004) MS Word (739KB)
• Allocating Funds to Charter Schools (December 2000) PDF (544 KB)

Application Guidance

Notices Inviting Applications (NIAs) – State Entity Grants

• 2024 NIA (PDF)
• 2023 NIA (PDF)
• 2022 NIA (PDF)
• 2020 NIA (PDF)
• 2019 NIA (PDF)
• 2018 NIA (PDF)
• 2017 NIA (PDF)

For the most up-to-date information on this grant program and any future or current notices, please continue to check our website and search for current opportunities, and/or register for alerts for Grants.gov (search ALN 84.282).

Included below is information regarding the new awards under the CSP Grants to State Entities Program made in each fiscal year since

• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2024 grantees. PDF (23 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2023 grantees. MS Excel (23 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2022 grantees. MS Excel (30 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2020 grantees. MS Excel (91 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2019 grantees. MS Excel (91 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2018 grantees. MS Excel (86 KB)
• Information regarding the funding request (broken down by year) for the FY 2017 grantees. MS Excel (36 KB)

*The city and state reflect where the grantee is operating.

Awards Table Instructions: Please use the scroll bar at the bottom of the Awards tab to view the entire Awards table.