NYSED / P-12 / Funding Opportunities / ESSA, Title IV Part B Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Application

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Announcement of Funding Opportunity
ESSA, Title IV Part B Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Grant Application

Recent Updates Last Updated on November 5, 2021: The Question & Answer Summary as well as Revised Word and PDF versions of RFP GC22-001 have been posted. We have removed a duplicated scoring indicator from 5) Program Management in the Program Narrative section (pages 42-43) and Rubric (pages 65-67). Please see Question 17 in the Q&A for details. In an update on November 2, we extended the deadline to submit applications one week, to November 30, 2021, and that change is reflected in the revised RFP. Revised Grant Application in PDF – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21 Revised Grant Application in Word – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21 Question & Answer Summary - Posted 11/5/21 Updated on November 2, 2021: Grant Application Extension: The deadline for applications for RFP GC22-001 (21st Century Community Learning Centers) has been extended to November 30, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. The Questions and Answers summary, scheduled to be posted November 2, 2021, will be posted within the next week. Revised Forms: There was an error in the Goal Calculation Worksheet in the RFP (page 105). Please use the corrected Goal Calculation Worksheet now posted. NYSED has revised the Data Privacy Appendix R required for this RFP. All applicants must agree to the terms of the Data Privacy Appendix R. There is nothing for applicants to complete or fill out. All applicants should download, read, and upload this document with their applications as a means of agreeing to the terms contained within. Updated on October 6, 2021: The non-mandatory Notice of Intent is due November 9, 2021, via Survey Monkey Apply. The date is correct in the RFP and in the Survey Monkey Apply portal, but was incorrectly given as October 9 in the recently posted webinar and accompanying slides. Updated on October 1, 2021: Technical Assistance Webinar – Posted 10/1/21 Updated on September 30, 2021: Revised Word and PDF versions of RFP GC-22-001 have been posted. We have corrected the minimum number of hours a student must attend a 21st CCLC program to be counted as a participant from 30 hours to 15 hours on pages 10 and 22. We have also posted a document providing clarification on the $1.2 million cap on applications.

Grant Application in PDF – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21
Grant Application in Word – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21
Clarification on the $1.2M application cap in the Amount of Funding Section – Posted 9/30/2021
Contract Boilerplate – Posted 9/30/2021
Data Privacy Appendix in PDF – Revised 11/2/21
Instructions for Electronic Signatures
Question & Answer Summary – Posted 11/5/21

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) program is authorized under Title IV, Part B of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015.

Note: The 21st CCLC is a formula grant from the US Department of Education made available to states, who administer subgrants to eligible entities through a competitive request for proposals. Awardees of this funding are therefore referred to as subgrantees and awards as subawards or subgrants. The words “grant” and “subgrant” are used interchangeably within this RFP.

The purpose of 21st Century Community Learning Centers is to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in community learning centers that:

1. provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging State academic standards; 
2. offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
3. offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

The grant period is five (5) years, anticipated to begin July 1, 2022 and to end June 30, 2027, subject to availability of funds from the United States Department of Education and satisfactory performance of the subgrantee in the previous year.

Any public or private organization that meets the eligibility requirements can apply for 21st CCLC funding. An “eligible entity” refers to a local educational agency (LEA), community-based organization (CBO), Indian tribe or tribal organization (25 U.S.C. Section 5130), another public or private entity, or a consortium of two or more such agencies, organizations, or entities (20 U.S.C. Section 7171[b][3]).  This includes public school districts, BOCES, charter schools, private schools, nonprofit agencies, city or county government agencies, faith-based organizations, institutions of higher education, Indian tribes or tribal organizations, and for-profit corporations.

All subgrants must be implemented through a partnership that includes at least one (1) local educational agency receiving funds under part A of Title I and at least one (1) BOCES, nonprofit agency, city or county government agency, faith-based organization, institution of higher education, Indian tribe or tribal organization, or for-profit corporation with a demonstrated record of success in designing and implementing before school, after school, summer learning, or expanded learning time activities.*

To be eligible for this grant, at least 2/3 of the students an applicant is proposing to serve must attend: 

1. schools eligible for schoolwide programs under Title I, Section 1114 of the Every Student Succeeds Act, and the families of such students, or
2. schools with at least 40 percent of students eligible for free or reduced priced lunch (FRPL), and the families of such students, or
3. schools with at least 40% of their students designated as economically disadvantaged, and the families of such students.

For the purposes of this RFP, “local educational agencies” are defined as public schools and districts, private schools, and charter schools.

There are four tabs with lists at the following link: public schools and charter schools with at least 40% of their students who are economically disadvantaged; public schools and charter schools that are Title I Schoolwide programs; public schools and charter schools that have a FRPL rate of 40% or higher; and non-public schools that have a FRPL rate of 40% or higher. To be an eligible school, it must be on one of those lists. However, schools not on these lists can be included in your program as long as 2/3 of the students you propose to serve attend a school on one of these lists. In some cases a school may appear on more than one list.

Complete List of Eligible Schools, as of September 15, 2021.

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*A local educational agency (LEA) may apply without a partner if the LEA demonstrates that it is unable to partner with a community-based organization in reasonable geographic proximity and of sufficient quality to meet the requirements of 21st CCLC. An LEA wishing to apply under this provision must notify the NYS Education Department’s Office of Student Support Services by email at 21CRFP@nysed.gov no later than October 7, 2021 for further instructions.

Approximately $95 million annually, subject to availability of federal funds. Annual subgrant awards will range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $1,200,000. A single agency may not apply for more than $1,200,000 total, either as a lead agency, a partner agency in multiple subgrants, or as a combination of lead and partner agency, in this competition even though an agency may not be successfully awarded in each case. For-profit agencies may apply for an annual grant award of up to a maximum of $400,000.  The amount of 21st CCLC funds requested divided by the maximum anticipated number of students served must not exceed an annual amount of $2,100. Meaning, the maximum request amount per student is $2,100.

The deadline for applications for RFP GC22-001 (21st Century Community Learning Centers) has been extended to November 30, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Complete applications must be submitted electronically via Survey Monkey Apply portal. Applications submitted via mail will not be reviewed.

Instructions for submission are available at the Survey Monkey Apply Portal. Prospective applicants are advised that submission via the Portal is a multi-step process that includes completion of several online forms and upload of multiple documents, some of which require signatures and will need to be scanned prior to upload. Prospective applicants are advised to begin work in the online portal as soon as possible.

For guidance on submitting acceptable forms of e-signature, please see the Instructions for Electronic Signatures document posted with this RFP.

Submit by mail one (1) original and one (1) copy of the FS-10 budget postmarked no later than November 30, 2021 to:

New York State Education Department
Attn:  Elizabeth Whipple
Re: 2022-2027 21st CCLC Grant Application
New York State Education Department
Office of Student Support Services Rm 319M
89 Washington Avenue
Albany, NY 12234

Hand-delivered submissions of applications will not be accepted.

A Technical Assistance Webinar to assist applicants in preparing their submissions is available now at: Technical Assistance Webinar

Question & Answer Summary - Posted 11/5/21

Proposals received from nonprofit applicants that are not Prequalified in the Grants Gateway by 5:00 PM on the proposal due date of November 30, 2021 cannot be evaluated. Such proposals will be disqualified from further consideration. Please see the “Prequalification Requirement” section for additional information.

The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application by the application date; however, NYSED strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process. A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of their prequalification materials. The notice of intent should be submitted via Survey Monkey Apply Portal by 5:00 p.m. November 9, 2021.

Program: Elizabeth Whipple
Fiscal: Thomas McBride
M/WBE: Brian Hackett
Email: 21CRFP@nysed.gov

Grant Application in PDF – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21
Grant Application in Word – Revised 9/30/2021, 11/2/21, and 11/5/21
Clarification on the $1.2M application cap in the Amount of Funding Section – Posted 9/30/2021
Contract Boilerplate – Posted 9/30/2021
Data Privacy Appendix in PDF – Revised 11/2/21
Instructions for Electronic Signatures
Question & Answer Summary – Posted 11/5/21

Last Updated: November 5, 2021