Competitive Grant Opportunity Published on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page

Texas Education Agency

March 12, 2021

News Bulletin

Department of Grant Compliance and Administration


News from the Grants Administration Division
 


Competitive Grant Opportunity Published on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page
 

TEA is announcing the availability of grant funds for the 2021-2023 Charter School Program Grant (Subchapter C and D) grant program. Request for Application (RFA) #701-21-116 is authorized by the Public Law 114-95, Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA), Title IV, Part C – Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools; Texas Education Code (TEC), Chapter 12; and Texas Administrative Code (TAC), Chapter 100, Subchapter AAThe RFA is available on the TEA Grant Opportunities Page. 

Eligibility 

An open-enrollment charter school campus designated by the commissioner of education, for the 2021–2022 or 2022-2023 school year, as a high-quality campus pursuant to the 19 TAC, Chapter 100, Subchapter AA §§100.1033(b)(9) and 100.1033(b)(13). Open-enrollment charter schools submitting an expansion amendment request and corresponding application for high-quality campus designation for the 2021–2022 or 2022-2023 school year by March 26, 2021, are considered eligible to apply for the grant. However, the commissioner must approve the expansion amendment request and designate the campus as a high-quality campus prior to the charter receiving grant funding, if awarded. 

A campus charter school authorized by the local board of trustees pursuant to TEC, Chapter 12, Subchapter C, on or before March 31, 2021, as a new charter school, or as a charter school that is designed to replicate a new charter school campus, based on the educational model of an existing high-quality charter school, and that submits all required documentation as stated in this RFA. A campus charter school must apply through its public school district, and the application must be signed by the district’s superintendent or the appropriate designee. 

Important: Any charter school that does not open prior to Wednesday, September 7, 2022, after having been awarded grant funds, may be required to forfeit any remaining grant funds, and may be required to reimburse any expended amounts to TEA. 

Grant Period 

  • June 1, 2021, through July 31, 2023. 
  • This is expected to be a one-time grant for the grant period listed above. 

Funding 

  • A total of approximately $9,900,000 is available for this grant program.  
  • It is anticipated that approximately eleven to thirteen grants will be awarded 
  • Grant awards are expected to range from $750,000 up to $900,000  

Description 

The purpose of this program is to provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools and support the growth of high-quality charter schools in Texas, especially those focused on improving academic outcomes for educationally disadvantaged students. 

Application Deadline 

 Applications must be received by the Texas Education Agency by 11:59 p.m. (Central Time), April 20, 2021, to be considered for funding.  

 

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