CFDA NUMBER | 84.424G |
PROGRAM OFFICE | School Choice and Improvement Programs |
PROGRAM TYPE | Discretionary/Competitive Grants |
What's New
October 1, 2024: Biden-Harris Administration Awards Over $67 Million Through Magnet Schools Program and Fostering Diverse Schools Grants.

Information about any future competions and opportunities to apply will be posted here should they become available. Prospective applicants are invited to bookmark this page, visit often, and review our Competition Resources or email us at FDS@ed.gov to learn more about the Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program.
About FDS
The Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program provides competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), consortia of LEAs, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a state educational agency (SEA) to develop or implement and make publicly available as a resource for other LEAs and SEAs, school diversity plans that improve school conditions for student learning by supporting voluntary efforts to increase school socioeconomic diversity in preschool through grade 12.
The Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program is intended to help build the capacity of LEAs to meet the needs of students, including academic, social, emotional, and mental health by increasing access to and equity in diverse and inclusive learning environments. This program is being established with funds from the two percent reservation for technical assistance and capacity building under section 4103(a)(3) of the ESEA, which is designed to support States and LEAs in carrying out activities authorized under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program in title IV, part A of the ESEA, including activities that support access to a well-rounded education and activities that support safe and healthy students and their overall and academic well-being.
Included below is information regarding new awards made in each fiscal year since FY 2024.
Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
FY 2024 | 2 |
FY 2023 | 14 |
Note: Applications and Reviewer Comments will be coming soon.
Year Awarded | Grantee | Duration (Years) | Year 1 | Total Expected Funding | State | Abstracts |
2024 | Citizens of the World Charter Schools | 2 | $485,400 | $985,400 | CA | (36.8 KB) |
2024 | School Board of Miami-Dade County | 2 | $500,000 | $500,000 | FL | (13.1 KB) |
2023 | Oakland Unified School District | 2 | $499,687 | $975,477 | CA | PDF (68 KB) |
2023 | Board of Education City of Chicago | 2 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | IL | PDF (63 KB) |
2023 | Fayette County Public Schools | 2 | $500,000 | $880,539 | KY | PDF (140 KB) |
2023 | MD State Dept of Education in partnership with Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery Counties. | 2 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | MD | PDF (64 KB) |
2023 | Cumberland County Schools | 2 | $249,997 | $499,995 | NC | PDF (10 KB) |
2023 | Forsyth/Winston-Salem County Schools | 2 | $444,888 | $943,688 | NC | PDF (59 KB) |
2023 | Seacaucus School District | 2 | $499,360 | $999,320 | NJ | PDF (29 KB) |
2023 | Osage County Interlocal Cooperative | 2 | $498,943 | $999,856 | OK | PDF (37 KB) |
2023 | Rhode Island Mayoral Academy Blackstone Valley | 2 | $262,924 | $499,999 | RI | PDF (72 KB) |
2023 | Hamilton County Department of Education | 2 | $251,593 | $512,711 | TN | PDF (80 KB) |
2023 | Anchorage School District | 5 | $2,262,205 | $14,392,330 | AK | PDF (114 KB) |
2023 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 5 | $2,848,676 | $13,214,698 | LA | PDF (85 KB) |
2023 | New York City Department of Education District 3 | 5 | $1,478,283 | $7,420,798 | NY | PDF (84 KB) |
2023 | New York City Department of Education District 13 | 5 | $1,684,479 | $8,446,038 | NY | PDF (83 KB) |
Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
FY 2023 | $10,000,000 |
Legislation
Program Authority: Section 4101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7111).
Title IV, Part A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Program: Authorizing legislation.
Regulations
OMB Uniform Guidance: Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
Applicant Reminders
The FDS program office wants to remind applicants of a few things as they prepare to submit or resubmit their applications by the new deadline (July 28, 2023).
- Ensure that the applicant organization is eligible for the program
- Submit only PDFs in your application
- Clearly identify which absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Developing or Enhancing a School Diversity Plan
- AP2: Implementing a School Diversity Plan
- Propose a budget that is aligned with the absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Maximum $500,000 per year (for 2 years)
- AP2: Maximum $4 million per year (for 5 years)
- Propose activities that align with the absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Planning activities
- AP2: Implementation activities
Competition Reopening
On July 11, 2023, we reopened the competition to allow applicants more time to prepare and submit applications. The new deadline is July 28, 2023. Applicants who have already applied by the original deadline do not need to resubmit but may choose to do so. We will review the most recent version of the application that is submitted prior to the new deadline.
Applicant Information
FY 2023 FDS Notice Inviting Applications (NIA)
Application available in the Federal Register on May 8, 2023
FY 2023 FDS Competition Timeline
NIA Available: May 8, 2023
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 28, 2023
FY 2023 FDS Application Instructions
The FDS Application Package is available for applicants to download and use as a guide only. This document can also be found on Grants.gov. Unless the applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, all FDS grant applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov.
FY 2023 FDS Application Instructions: PDF
FY 2023 FDS Pre-Application Webinars
All of our pre-application webinars have passed. Please view the webinar slides and a recording from one of our presentations below.
Competition Overview Webinar:
View the slides here: PDF
Eligibility
Who May Apply: (by category) Local Education Agencies
Who May Apply: (specifically)- A local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies where appropriate, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a SEA is eligible to receive a grant.
Resources
Application Brochure- The 2023 Application brochure outlines key elements of the grant competition.
CFDA NUMBER | 84.424G |
PROGRAM OFFICE | School Choice and Improvement Programs |
PROGRAM TYPE | Discretionary/Competitive Grants |
What's New
October 1, 2024: Biden-Harris Administration Awards Over $67 Million Through Magnet Schools Program and Fostering Diverse Schools Grants.

Information about any future competions and opportunities to apply will be posted here should they become available. Prospective applicants are invited to bookmark this page, visit often, and review our Competition Resources or email us at FDS@ed.gov to learn more about the Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program.
About FDS
The Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program provides competitive grants to local educational agencies (LEAs), consortia of LEAs, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a state educational agency (SEA) to develop or implement and make publicly available as a resource for other LEAs and SEAs, school diversity plans that improve school conditions for student learning by supporting voluntary efforts to increase school socioeconomic diversity in preschool through grade 12.
The Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants Program is intended to help build the capacity of LEAs to meet the needs of students, including academic, social, emotional, and mental health by increasing access to and equity in diverse and inclusive learning environments. This program is being established with funds from the two percent reservation for technical assistance and capacity building under section 4103(a)(3) of the ESEA, which is designed to support States and LEAs in carrying out activities authorized under the Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants program in title IV, part A of the ESEA, including activities that support access to a well-rounded education and activities that support safe and healthy students and their overall and academic well-being.
Included below is information regarding new awards made in each fiscal year since FY 2024.
Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
FY 2024 | 2 |
FY 2023 | 14 |
Note: Applications and Reviewer Comments will be coming soon.
Year Awarded | Grantee | Duration (Years) | Year 1 | Total Expected Funding | State | Abstracts |
2024 | Citizens of the World Charter Schools | 2 | $485,400 | $985,400 | CA | (36.8 KB) |
2024 | School Board of Miami-Dade County | 2 | $500,000 | $500,000 | FL | (13.1 KB) |
2023 | Oakland Unified School District | 2 | $499,687 | $975,477 | CA | PDF (68 KB) |
2023 | Board of Education City of Chicago | 2 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | IL | PDF (63 KB) |
2023 | Fayette County Public Schools | 2 | $500,000 | $880,539 | KY | PDF (140 KB) |
2023 | MD State Dept of Education in partnership with Anne Arundel, Charles, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery Counties. | 2 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | MD | PDF (64 KB) |
2023 | Cumberland County Schools | 2 | $249,997 | $499,995 | NC | PDF (10 KB) |
2023 | Forsyth/Winston-Salem County Schools | 2 | $444,888 | $943,688 | NC | PDF (59 KB) |
2023 | Seacaucus School District | 2 | $499,360 | $999,320 | NJ | PDF (29 KB) |
2023 | Osage County Interlocal Cooperative | 2 | $498,943 | $999,856 | OK | PDF (37 KB) |
2023 | Rhode Island Mayoral Academy Blackstone Valley | 2 | $262,924 | $499,999 | RI | PDF (72 KB) |
2023 | Hamilton County Department of Education | 2 | $251,593 | $512,711 | TN | PDF (80 KB) |
2023 | Anchorage School District | 5 | $2,262,205 | $14,392,330 | AK | PDF (114 KB) |
2023 | East Baton Rouge Parish | 5 | $2,848,676 | $13,214,698 | LA | PDF (85 KB) |
2023 | New York City Department of Education District 3 | 5 | $1,478,283 | $7,420,798 | NY | PDF (84 KB) |
2023 | New York City Department of Education District 13 | 5 | $1,684,479 | $8,446,038 | NY | PDF (83 KB) |
Fiscal Year (FY) | Number of new awards |
FY 2023 | $10,000,000 |
Legislation
Program Authority: Section 4101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7111).
Title IV, Part A, Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Program: Authorizing legislation.
Regulations
OMB Uniform Guidance: Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
Applicant Reminders
The FDS program office wants to remind applicants of a few things as they prepare to submit or resubmit their applications by the new deadline (July 28, 2023).
- Ensure that the applicant organization is eligible for the program
- Submit only PDFs in your application
- Clearly identify which absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Developing or Enhancing a School Diversity Plan
- AP2: Implementing a School Diversity Plan
- Propose a budget that is aligned with the absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Maximum $500,000 per year (for 2 years)
- AP2: Maximum $4 million per year (for 5 years)
- Propose activities that align with the absolute priority you are addressing
- AP1: Planning activities
- AP2: Implementation activities
Competition Reopening
On July 11, 2023, we reopened the competition to allow applicants more time to prepare and submit applications. The new deadline is July 28, 2023. Applicants who have already applied by the original deadline do not need to resubmit but may choose to do so. We will review the most recent version of the application that is submitted prior to the new deadline.
Applicant Information
FY 2023 FDS Notice Inviting Applications (NIA)
Application available in the Federal Register on May 8, 2023
FY 2023 FDS Competition Timeline
NIA Available: May 8, 2023
Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: July 28, 2023
FY 2023 FDS Application Instructions
The FDS Application Package is available for applicants to download and use as a guide only. This document can also be found on Grants.gov. Unless the applicant qualifies for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, all FDS grant applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov.
FY 2023 FDS Application Instructions: PDF
FY 2023 FDS Pre-Application Webinars
All of our pre-application webinars have passed. Please view the webinar slides and a recording from one of our presentations below.
Competition Overview Webinar:
View the slides here: PDF
Eligibility
Who May Apply: (by category) Local Education Agencies
Who May Apply: (specifically)- A local educational agency, or consortium of such agencies where appropriate, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a SEA is eligible to receive a grant.
Resources
Application Brochure- The 2023 Application brochure outlines key elements of the grant competition.