Expanding Opportunities Through Quality Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants to State Entities

84.282A

Discretionary/Competitive Grants

Charter Schools, Public Charter Schools Program (CSP)

What’s New

FY 2023 SE Grants Competition

On September 27, 2023, the U.S. Department of Education’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program – Grants to State Entities (SE Grants) awarded $147,312,186  in new grant funds to ten State Entities across the country. For more information about the FY 2023 CSP SE Grant competition, which closed on June 5, 2023, please visit the FY 2023 Competition page.

For more information about the FY 2023 CSP SE grants and previous awards, please visit the Awards page.

FY 2022 CSP Notice of Final Priorities

On March 14, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education published in the Federal Register the Notice of Proposed Priorities, Requirements, Definitions, and Selection Criteria–Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Programs (CSP)-Grants to State Entities (SE Grants); Grants to Charter Management Organizations for the Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools (CMO Grants); and Grants to Charter School Developers for the Opening of New Charter Schools.  The deadline for public comments was April 13, 2022.  We received over 25,000 public comments, which can be viewed on the Federal eRulemaking Portal at www.regulations.gov.

On July 6, 2022, the Department published in the Federal Register the Notice of Final Priorities, Requirements, and Selection Criteria (NFP), which can be accessed here.

An accompanying CSP Final Rulemaking Fact Sheet can be accessed here.

Program Description

The CSP State Entities program is authorized under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) (20 U.S.C. 7221-7221j). Prior to enactment of the ESSA, the ESEA, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB), authorized the Secretary to make awards to State educational agencies to enable them to conduct charter school subgrant programs in their States. The CSP State Entities program is under new law and has different eligibility requirements, priorities, definitions, application requirements, and selection criteria.

The major purposes of the CSP are to expand opportunities for all students, particularly traditionally underserved students, to attend charter schools and meet challenging State academic standards; provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of public charter schools; increase the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the United States; evaluate the impact of charter schools on student achievement, families, and communities; share best practices between charter schools and other public schools; encourage States to provide facilities support to charter schools; and support efforts to strengthen the charter school authorizing process.

The CSP grants to State Entities (84.282A) is a competitive grant program that enables State entities to award subgrants to eligible applicants in their State to open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools and to replicate and expand high-quality charter schools. Grant funds must also be used by the State entity to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies in opening and preparing for the operation of new charter schools, or replicating or expanding high-quality charter schools; and to work with authorized public chartering agencies to improve authorizing quality, including developing capacity for, and conducting, fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools.

Contact Information

  • Adrienne Hawkins, Supervisor
    CSP SE Grants
    U.S. Department of Education, OESE
    400 Maryland Ave SW
    Washington, DC 20202