Exploring Federal Funding Opportunities for K-12 Education
With the start of a new fiscal year comes new funding. If you’re wondering if your school/district qualifies for federal funding, the answer is yes! Federal funding streams have always been earmarked to ensure equal access to public education for all students!
Not sure yet if you should apply for federal funding? If you are…
- offering a summer school or after-school program, you should apply.
- addressing learning loss, you should apply.
- purchasing instructional materials and technology, you should apply.
- looking for professional development for you/your staff, you should apply.
- addressing “low-income children or students, children with disabilities, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, students experiencing homelessness, and foster care youth,” you should apply.
Federal Funding Programs
The federal government offers several funding programs to support K-12 public schools across the country. Some notable programs include
Title I: Title I grants provide financial assistance to schools serving students from low-income families, aiming to bridge the achievement gap. These funds can be used for additional instructional resources, professional development, and parental engagement programs.
Title II: These funds are intended to improve teacher quality through continuous, ongoing training to better teachers’ understanding of academic subjects and strategies to help students meet academic standards. Most districts use their Title II funds to provide professional development to their administration and staff.
Title IV, Part B:21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC): The Title IV program is intended to provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, improve school conditions for student learning, and improve the use of technology to improve academic achievement and digital literacy of all students.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): IDEA grants aim to support the education of students with disabilities. Schools can utilize these funds to provide special education services, hire specialized staff, and implement individualized education plans (IEPs) to meet the unique needs of these students.
Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act: This act focuses on strengthening career and technical education (CTE) programs. Schools can leverage these funds to enhance their CTE curriculum, develop partnerships with local industries, and provide students with valuable skills for the workforce.
Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER): Born out of the pandemic, the federal government passed several stimulus laws that provide financial support to K-12 school districts and other educational institutions that have faced learning loss. These funds can be used to provide instructional materials and technology, address learning loss, and on summer learning and before-/afterschool program implementations.
Deadlines to note:
ESSER II deadline: September 30, 2023
ESSER III (ARP) deadline: September 30, 2024
Funding K-12 education is an important investment in our future. However, ensuring adequate funding for these institutions is a perpetual challenge. As budgets tighten and educational needs evolve, it becomes essential to explore diverse funding opportunities to provide quality education and create an environment conducive to learning.
Our mission at UBTECH Education is to help prepare students for the future while curbing learning loss with hands-on solutions. We want to engage, explore, explain, elaborate, and evaluate with our UKITs by way of the engineering design process while also giving teachers the support they need along the way. Let us know how we can help enhance the coding and robotics opportunities, hands-on STEM activities, and/or professional development in your district for the upcoming school year.