Charter Schools: Education Could Do More to Assist Charter Schools with Applying for Discretionary Grants

Education concurred with our recommendation and said it would take steps to further publicize the federal discretionary grant opportunities for which charter schools are potentially eligible. Specifically, Education tasked the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC), a technical assistance center, with compiling a list of charter schools nationwide for a listserve used to distribute relevant grant notices. NCSRC also posted grant notices on its Web site and Education linked its Charter Schools Program (CSP) Web page to this Web site. In FY13, Education reported that it posts grant notices and information on GovDelivery, a firm that expedites digital communications, including information from the NCSRC Web site. The NCSRC also sends grant information through its listserve of more than 11,000 members. However, it is not clear whether the GovDelivery and NCSRC messages reach all charter schools, whether the messages include grants in all federal agencies for which charter schools are eligible, or whether the NCSRC's grant list is updated annually. ED reported in FY14 that the NCSRC continued to post grant opportunities on its website and included a link to allow viewers to upload opportunities. The CSP continued to send out grant information through GovDelivery. In FY15, ED reported that tasks assigned to the NCSRC include annual reconciliation of the distribution list for updated funding opportunities. Under the NCSRC contractor's upcoming contract option year, the NCSRC will update funding opportunities, determine which charter schools are not signed up for the listserv, and invite those charter schools to join.

Education concurred with our recommendation and stated that it will add text to all of the Department's pertinent discretionary grant announcements indicating that charter schools meeting relevant criterion are eligible to apply. Education also plans to encourage other federal agencies to identify charter schools as eligible applicants in relevant grant application notices. In fiscal year 2013, Education reported that they continue to ask other agencies to list charter schools as eligible applicants in their grant notices. In FY14, Education provided a list of ED grants that list charter schools as eligible applicants, such as Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Programs and Project Prevent Grant Program. A review of the list confirms that Education has begun adding text to pertinent discretionary grant announcements that charter schools meeting relevant criteria are eligible to apply.

Education stated that it would provide updated guidance for applying to federal grant programs on the National Charter School Resource Center (NCSRC) Web site. The Web site would also highlight federal discretionary grant application experiences of small charter schools that previously won awards. In FY13, Education provided us with links to the information available on the Charter Schools Program (CSP) Web page about its seven grants, to the list of grant opportunities on the NCSRC Web site, and to a webinar presented in July 2011 about developing fund raising strategies. Education reported in FY14 that the CSP collaborated with the i3 and Race to the Top programs in July 2013 to present at the National Charter Schools Conference on Beyond CSP: Charter Schools' Roles in Department of Education Grant Programs. The NCSRC materials continue to be available via the NCSRC website. In FY15, Education reported that under the NCSRC contractor's upcoming contract option year, the NCSRC will update Federal Funding Opportunities, a document first created for the 2012 National Charter Schools Conference, which describes programs throughout the Federal government for which charter schools might be eligible. This document will serve as an on-line resource for charter schools.