Rural Education Achievement Program

Part B of Title V of the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) contains Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) initiatives that are designed to help rural districts that may lack the personnel and resources to compete effectively for Federal competitive grants and that often receive grant allocations in amounts that are too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes.

The two initiatives within the Rural Education Achievement Program are:

  • The Small, Rural School Achievement Program (CFDA no. 84.358A) which authorizes the Secretary to award formula grants directly to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) (i.e., those LEAs eligible under the Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) described below) to carry out activities authorized under other specified Federal programs.
    • The Alternative Fund Use Authority (AFUA) is a flexibility provision that allows eligible LEAs to combine funding under certain programs to carry out local activities under other specified Federal programs.
  • The Rural and Low-Income School Program (CFDA no. 84.358B) is designed to address the needs of rural, low-income schools. The Secretary awards formula grants to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs either competitively or on a formula basis. The funds are to be used to carry out activities specified by the statute.