U.S. Department of Education: Native American Language (NAL@ED) Program : The Grant Plant, Inc. New Mexico

Deadline: August 2, 2022

U.S. Department of Education: Native American Language (NAL@ED) Program

The purpose of the NAL@ED Program is to (1) support schools that use Native American and Alaska Native languages as the primary language of instruction; (2) maintain, protect, and promote the rights and freedom of Native Americans and Alaska Natives to use, practice, maintain, and revitalize their languages; and (3) support the Nation’s First Peoples’ efforts to maintain and revitalize their languages and cultures, and to improve educational opportunities and student outcomes within Native American and Alaska Native communities.

Deadlines: Intent to Apply due July 5, 2022; Application due August 2, 2022

This opportunity encourages promoting education equity and adequacy in resources and opportunity for underserved students, including rigorous, engaging, and well-rounded approaches to learning that are inclusive regarding culture and language and prepare students for college, career, and civic life. Activities that support Native American or Alaska Native language education and development include:

Implementing inclusive pedagogical practices in professional development programs;
Using technology to support evidence-based approaches to personalized student learning in the classroom; and
Increasing the number and diversity of experienced and effective educators, including those from the community that they serve.

In addition to soliciting applications from existing Native language instructional programs (Absolute Priority 2), the Department is soliciting applications supporting new Native language instructional programs (Absolute Priority 1). This competition includes two absolute priorities and two competitive preference priorities. Applicants must meet either Absolute Priority 1 or 2, and additional scoring points will be given to applicants who meet competitive preference priorities.

Absolute Priority 1: Develop and Maintain New Native American Language Programs—To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to develop and maintain a Native American language instructional program that (a) Will support Native American language education and development for Native American students, as well as provide professional development for teachers/staff/administrators to strengthen the overall language and academic goals of the school/s that will be served by the project; (b) Will take place in a school; and (c) Does not augment or replace a program of identical scope that was active within the last three years at the school/s to be served.
Absolute Priority 2: Expand and Improve Existing Native American Language Programs—To meet this priority, an applicant must propose to improve and expand a Native American language instructional program that (a) Will improve and expand Native American language education and development for Native American students, as well as provide professional development for teachers/staff/administrators, to strengthen the overall language and academic goals of the school or schools that will be served by the project; (b) Will continue to take place in a school; and (c) Within the past three years has been offered at the school/s to be served.

Competitive Preference Priority 1: Support Project Sustainability With Title VI Indian Education Formula Grant Funds—To meet this priority, an applicant or a partner must receive, or be eligible to receive, a formula grant under title VI of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), and must commit to use all or part of that formula grant to help sustain this project after the conclusion of the grant period. See solicitation for details.
Competitive Preference Priority 2: Preference for Indian Applicants—To meet this priority, an application must be submitted by an Indian Tribe, Indian organization, Bureau of Indian Education (BIE)-funded school, or Tribal College or University (TCU) that is eligible to participate in the NAL@ED program. A consortium of eligible entities that includes an Indian Tribe, Indian organization, BIE-funded school, or TCU will also be considered eligible to meet this priority. See solicitation for details of eligibility and requirements for this Priority.

All non-Tribal applicants must engage with appropriate officials from Tribe(s) located in the area served by the project, or with a local Tribal organization, prior to submission of an application. The engagement must provide for the opportunity for officials from Tribes or Tribal organizations to meaningfully and substantively contribute to the application. If an applicant is an LEA, then the LEA is required to consult with Tribe(s) or Tribal organizations approved by the Tribes located in the area served by the LEA, on the contents of the application. An LEA must also be certified. See solicitation for details.

Selected grantees must adhere to the following program requirements. See solicitation for details of each requirement.

Native American Language Proficiency Assessment. Grantees must administer pre- and post-assessments of Native American language proficiency to participating students.
Diversity of Languages. To ensure a diversity of languages, the Department will not fund more than one project in any competition year that proposes to use the same Native American language.
Geographic Distribution. To ensure geographic diversity, the Department will not exclusively fund projects that all propose to serve students in the same State in any competition year.
ISDEAA Statutory Hiring Preference. Grantees should give to Indians preferences and opportunities for training and employment in connection with the administration of the grant, and give to Indian organizations and to Indian-owned economic enterprises preference in the award of contracts.

Amount: A total of $1,054,537 is available to make an estimated three awards ranging from $300,000–$400,000 for a period of up to 60 months.

Eligibility: The following entities, either alone or in a consortium, that have a plan to develop and maintain, or to improve and expand, programs that support the entity’s use of a Native American or Alaska Native language as the primary language of instruction in one or more elementary or secondary schools are eligible: (a) An Indian Tribe. (b) A Tribal College or University (TCU). (c) A Tribal education agency. (d) An LEA, including a public charter school that is an LEA under State law. (e) A school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE). (f) An Alaska Native Regional Corporation. (g) A private, Tribal, or Alaska Native nonprofit organization. (h) A non-Tribal for-profit organization.

Link: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=340817

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