Targeted grants and other special sources of state education funding don’t typically fall right into administrators’ laps—or their annual spending plans.
With the expiration of ESSER III funding looming in less than a year, help is also on the horizon. The K12 data tracking organization Burbio is now building a clearinghouse of grants and other specialized state revenue streams. The firm’s says its goal is to provide details on the purposes of specific grants, award amounts, application deadlines and district eligibility requirements, among other information.
Key categories will include school security, technology, early childhood, infrastructure, CTE, professional development, SEL, mental health, arts, STEM and core curriculum.
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“While most state-level funding comes through education departments, there are examples of funding available from other departments and agencies that school districts also can tap into,” the company notes. “It is difficult to overstate the variety of funding sources across every state, so there is no such thing as a representative list.”
Here are a few examples of state education funding streams that Burbio has identified in a handful of K12 categories, from safety to curriculum to HVAC upgrades:
- STEM: Iowa is offering up to $40,000 in matching grants to districts that launch or expand work-based learning opportunities that allow students to develop future-focused, high-demand STEM skills.
- Core curriculum: The $1.2 million Genocide Education grants program supports Massachusetts districts in developing or purchasing curriculum materials, professional development programs and other resources to teach high school students about the history and patterns of genocide.
- Technology: Washington’s Digital Equity & Inclusion Grants support 1-to-1 device programs, inclusionary and adaptive technology, classroom audio enhancement, devices for special education students and edtech designed for multi-language learners.
- Pre-K: New Jersey awarded $51.9 million from the state’s share of federal grant funding to 23 school districts to create, expand and renovate preschool facilities.
- Infrastructure: The state lottery-funded Needs-Based Public School Capital Fund will give $254 million in construction grants to lower-income school districts in North Carolina.
- Safety and security: The SAFE Grant program provides $800 million to districts in Texas.
- CTE: Pathways in Technology Early College High School, or P-TECH, will award $31.5 million over the next seven years to district partnerships that prepare New York students for high-skilled technology and manufacturing jobs.
- HVAC: Connecticut’s newly established “HVAC Indoor Air Quality Grants Program for Public Schools” offers $150 million from state and American Rescue Plan funds for heating, ventilation and air conditioning system upgrades.
