OESE: Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP): Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the replication and Expansion of High-quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants) CFDA Number 84.282M | ED GRANTS 112619 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 112619 001

The OESE Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP) Charter Management Organization (CMO) Grants, CFDA 84.282M, is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Education to help scale up charter schools that have already demonstrated strong results. The core idea is straightforward: the Department uses a competitive process to award funding to charter management organizations so they can either grow the size of existing high-quality charter schools (expansion) or open additional schools that follow a proven, high-quality model (replication). In practice, this means a CMO with an established track record can seek federal support to serve more students by increasing enrollment at current campuses, launching new campuses, or doing both, as long as the work is grounded in a model that is already performing well.

This opportunity is tied to the official application notice published in the Federal Register, and the synopsis emphasizes that the Federal Register notice is the controlling source for the full set of rules and requirements. Applicants are directed to review that official notice for the details that typically determine whether an application is eligible and competitive, including formal eligibility requirements, how to submit, required forms and assurances, selection criteria, priorities, and performance measures. The announcement 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 guidance on how to obtain and submit applications and how to follow federal discretionary grant procedures.

Key administrative details included in the listing show that the opportunity number is ED GRANTS 112619 001, the funding instrument is a grant, and the funding activity category is education. The agency is the Department of Education, and the program is listed as discretionary, meaning awards are not formula-based and will be made through a competitive review process. While the eligibility field is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," the synopsis signals that prospective applicants need to consult the Federal Register notice to confirm exactly which entities qualify and what conditions apply to CMOs seeking to apply.

The timeline provided is specific to the 2019-2020 cycle described in the source data. Applications became available on November 26, 2019, and the Department scheduled a pre-application webinar for December 5, 2019 (Eastern time) to walk prospective applicants through the opportunity and process. The deadline for transmittal of applications was January 10, 2020, and the deadline for intergovernmental review was March 10, 2020. In terms of expected award size and volume, the notice lists an award ceiling of $1,500,000 and anticipates approximately 20 awards, giving a general sense of the scale of funding and the likely competitiveness of the program.

Programmatically, the grant funds are framed around two allowable growth pathways. "Expansion" focuses on increasing enrollment for one or more existing high-quality charter schools, which can involve adding grades, increasing the number of seats, or otherwise scaling an existing campus model. "Replication" focuses on opening one or more new charter schools that are based on an existing high-quality charter school model, essentially extending a proven approach into new locations or communities. The emphasis on "high-quality" and "model" is important, because the intent is not to fund start-up experimentation, but to help CMOs take practices that are already working and reach more students through responsible growth.

Finally, the synopsis repeatedly underscores that many of the most important specifics are not fully captured in the brief description and must be verified in the Federal Register notice. That includes definitions (the notice indicates that italicized terms are defined in the Definitions section), any absolute or competitive priorities that could affect scoring, and the required performance measures that awardees must track and report. In short, this opportunity is designed to support evidence-based scaling of successful charter school models through CMOs, with defined federal procedures, a fixed application window, and competitive awards up to $1.5 million per grantee in the cycle described.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OESE: Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP): Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the replication and Expansion of High-quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants) 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 26, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2020 Applications available November 26, 2019. Date of pre-application webinar December 5, 2019. Deadline for transmittal of applications January 10, 2020. Deadline for intergovernmental review March 10, 2020. Pre-application webinar information The Department will hold a pre-application meeting via webinar for prospective applicants on December 5, 2019, Eastern time.. (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 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for ED GRANTS 112619 001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: