Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII): Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP): Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools CFDA Number 84.282M | ED GRANTS 113018 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 113018 001

This grant opportunity comes from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII), under the Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP). It is specifically the competition for Grants to Charter Management Organizations (CMOs) for the replication and expansion of high-quality charter schools, listed under CFDA number 84.282M. The program is discretionary, meaning funds are awarded through a competitive grant process rather than by formula, and it is designed to help proven charter school operators grow their impact by either opening additional schools based on an established model (replication) or increasing enrollment and capacity in schools that already exist (expansion).

At the broadest level, the Charter Schools Program (CSP) is intended to increase access to strong public charter school options and to ensure more students, especially traditionally underserved students, can attend schools that help them meet challenging state academic standards. The CSP’s purposes go beyond simply adding more seats. It also supports the planning, design, and early implementation work that makes high-quality charter schools possible; promotes the growth in the number of high-quality charter schools nationwide; encourages evaluation of charter school impacts on students, families, and communities; and pushes the sharing of effective practices between charter schools and traditional public schools. In addition, the program is meant to encourage states to improve charter school conditions by supporting facilities access for charter schools and strengthening the quality of charter school authorizing, which is a key lever for ensuring schools open responsibly and are held accountable.

Within that larger CSP framework, the CMO replication and expansion grants target charter management organizations that already operate at least one high-quality charter school model and are ready to scale. The Department’s intent here is to invest in organizations with a demonstrated record of success so they can bring that model to more students. Funds can be used in two main ways: to replicate high-quality charter schools by opening one or more new charter schools built on an existing, proven model, or to expand high-quality charter schools by increasing enrollment in one or more existing schools. The emphasis on a “high-quality” model matters because this competition is aimed at growth that maintains performance and fidelity to what has been shown to work, rather than growth for its own sake. The notice also indicates that certain terms used in the program are formally defined in the official Federal Register notice, which is important because those definitions typically determine what applicants must prove regarding school quality, performance, and eligibility.

Key administrative details in the synopsis show this opportunity was posted with an applications availability date of November 30, 2018, and a deadline for transmittal of applications of January 10, 2019. A pre-application webinar was scheduled for December 6, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. Washington, DC time, with guidance for prospective applicants to pre-register via email to charterschools@ed.gov, using a specified subject line. There was no registration fee for that webinar. The deadline for intergovernmental review was February 28, 2019, reflecting the standard process some applicants must follow under the federal intergovernmental review requirements.

Funding levels and scale are summarized in the opportunity data. The award ceiling is listed as $1,500,000, and the Department anticipated making about 30 awards. The funding instrument type is a grant, the activity category is education, and the opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 113018 001. Eligibility is summarized as “Others,” with a note to consult the official notice for detailed eligibility rules and clarifications. In practice, that eligibility language signals that not every type of education organization can apply; applicants must fit the program’s definition of an eligible charter management organization and meet any additional requirements tied to replication/expansion plans and evidence of quality.

Finally, the synopsis repeatedly stresses that it is only a summary of the official application notice published in the Federal Register, and that applicants must rely on the Federal Register version for the controlling requirements. It points applicants to the Department’s Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs (published February 12, 2018) for directions on how to obtain and submit an application and where to find required submission and procedural details. It also notes that the official notice contains the specific requirements that matter most in a competitive federal grant: eligibility standards, application and pre-application requirements, submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, and program contact information. In other words, this synopsis tells you what the program is trying to accomplish and the basic logistics, but the Federal Register notice is where an applicant would find the exact rules and the criteria used to score and select awards.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII): Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP): Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools CFDA Number 84.282M" 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 Nov 30, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2019 Applications Available November 30, 2018. Date of Pre-Application Webinar Thursday, December 6, 2018, 1200 p.m., Washington, DC time. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications January 10, 2019. Deadline for Intergovernmental Review February 28, 2019. Pre-Application Webinar Information The Department will hold a pre-application meeting via webinar for prospective applicants on Thursday, December 6, 1200 p.m., Washington, DC time. Individuals interested in attending this meeting are encouraged to pre-register by emailing their name, organization, and contact information with the subject heading CMO GRANTS PRE-APPLICATION MEETINGaposapos to charterschools@ed.gov. There is no registration fee for attending this meeting.. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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