U.S. Department of Education: Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants
The Fostering Diverse Schools Demonstration Grants program provides technical assistance and capacity building funds to support students with access to a well-rounded education and to improve school conditions for student learning by developing or implementing, and making publicly available as a resource for other local educational agencies (LEAs) and State educational agencies (SEAs), comprehensive plans for increasing school socioeconomic diversity in preschool through grade 12. The program is intended to help build the capacity of LEAs to meet the needs of students—including academic, social, emotional, and mental health—by increasing access to and equity in diverse and inclusive learning environments.
LEAs, consortia of LEAs, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a SEA are invited to apply for funding to—(1) develop or enhance a locally tailored comprehensive plan to increase socioeconomic diversity across and within LEAs, schools, and academic programs or courses, as applicable; or (2) implement a locally tailored comprehensive plan to foster socioeconomic diversity across and within districts and schools, and within classrooms, as applicable. The Department seeks to support applicants that promote the use of evidence-based strategies to increase access to high-quality, well-rounded learning experiences, support safe and healthy students by increasing diversity across and within districts, schools, and courses, or both.
The Department also seeks to support applicants that demonstrate student, family, educator, and community involvement in the development and implementation of their school diversity plans. Applicants may also propose to voluntarily foster diversity more broadly by considering legally permissible strategies for promoting diversity as it relates to factors such as race/ethnicity, culture, geography, the percentage of English learners, and the percentage of students with disabilities.
This competition includes two absolute priorities and three competitive preference priorities. See solicitation for full details.
Absolute Priority 1—Developing or Enhancing a Comprehensive Plan to Increase Socioeconomic Diversity: Develop or enhance, and make publicly available, a comprehensive plan to increase
socioeconomic diversity across the LEA, or LEAs.
Absolute Priority 2—Implementing a Comprehensive Plan to Increase Socioeconomic Diversity: To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to implement its existing high-quality comprehensive plan to increase socioeconomic diversity across the LEA, or LEAs.
Competitive Preference Priority 1— Fostering Socioeconomic Diversity in One or More High-Need LEAs.
Competitive Preference Priority 2— Strengthening Cross-Agency Coordination and Community Engagement to Advance Systemic Change: Take a systemic, evidence-based approach to improving outcomes for all students by coordinating efforts with other local government agencies (e.g., housing or transportation), community-based organizations, social service agencies, institutions of higher education, or early learning providers to promote socioeconomic diversity in schools.
Competitive Preference Priority 3— Fostering Socioeconomic Diversity Through Regional Approaches: To meet this priority, an applicant must be a consortium of two or more LEAs that propose to increase socioeconomic diversity in schools in the participating LEAs.
Amount: An estimated $10,000,000 is available to make awards ranging from $250,000–500,000 per year for Absolute Priority 1 (4-8 awards will be made); ranging from $1,000,000–$4,000,000 per year for Absolute Priority 2 (1-3 awards will be made). The Project Period for grants under Absolute Priority 1 is up to 24 months; for grants under Absolute Priority 2, up to 60 months.
Eligibility: Local educational agencies (LEAs), consortia of LEAs, or one or more LEAs in partnership with a State educational agency (SEA).
Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=347992
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