Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program CFDA Number 84.215J | ED GRANTS 061318 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 061318 001

The Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program (CFDA 84.215J) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education designed to help communities plan, implement, and operate full-service community schools. The program was newly authorized under sections 4621-4623 and 4625 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as updated by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). At its core, the grant supports school-centered approaches that bring academics and a wide range of student and family supports together in a coordinated way, with a strong emphasis on improving how services are integrated, how easy they are to access, and how effective they are in practice.

The main purpose of the FSCS program is to strengthen schools by turning them into community hubs where educational services and broader wraparound supports are aligned rather than scattered. The program specifically prioritizes improving outcomes for children and families in high-poverty settings, including high-poverty rural schools. In practical terms, the funding is intended to help applicants build or expand partnerships and systems that connect students and families to services that might otherwise be fragmented, hard to navigate, or unavailable. The overarching goal is not just to add more programs, but to improve coordination and integration so that supports reinforce one another and meaningfully contribute to student success and family well-being.

This funding opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 061318 001, with applications made available on June 13, 2018. The Department set a deadline for a Notice of Intent to Apply on June 28, 2018. While not required, the Department strongly encouraged potential applicants to email FSCS@ed.gov with the subject line "INTENT TO APPLY" to help the agency plan a more efficient review process. The notice makes clear that failing to submit this intent email would not disqualify an applicant; it was simply a procedural step meant to assist with administration and workload planning.

To help applicants prepare, a pre-application webinar was scheduled for June 20, 2018, with additional information hosted on the program website through the Department of Education. The final deadline for transmittal of applications was July 13, 2018. The opportunity listed an award ceiling of $2,500,000 per award and anticipated making approximately 14 awards, indicating a competitive national competition with relatively large individual grant sizes intended to support substantial planning and implementation work.

Eligibility is broadly listed as "Others" with a note to consult the official notice for full eligibility requirements and clarifications. That language signals that eligibility likely extends beyond only traditional school districts and may include certain partnerships or eligible entities described in the Federal Register notice. Because the synopsis repeatedly emphasizes that the Federal Register notice is the controlling document, applicants were directed to review that official publication for the full details on who may apply, what partnerships may be required, what priorities might influence scoring, and what specific documentation must be included.

The synopsis also stresses that the short description is not a substitute for the formal application package. Applicants were instructed to consult the official Federal Register application notice for critical elements such as pre-application and application requirements, submission procedures, performance measures, and any priorities established for that competition. In addition, it points applicants to the Department's "Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs" (published February 12, 2018, 83 FR 6003) for standardized guidance on how to obtain and submit applications and how to follow federal discretionary grant submission rules. In short, this FSCS opportunity offered sizable federal support to help eligible applicants build comprehensive, partnership-driven community school models, especially in high-poverty communities, with an emphasis on better coordinated and more effective services for students and families.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Innovation and Improvement (OII) Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) Program CFDA Number 84.215J" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.215.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 13, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 13, 2018 Applications Available June 13, 2018. Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply June 28, 2018. Notice of Intent to Apply The Department will be able to develop a more efficient process for reviewing grant applications if it has a better understanding of the number of entities that intend to apply for funding under this competition. Therefore, the Secretary strongly encourages each potential applicant to notify the Department of the applicantaposs intent to submit an application for funding by sending a short email message indicating the applicantaposs intent to submit an application for funding. The email need not include information regarding the content of the proposed application, only the applicantaposs intent to submit it. This email notification should be sent to FSCS@ed.gov with INTENT TO APPLYaposapos in the subject line by June 28, 2018. Applicants that do not notify us of their intent to apply may still apply for funding. Date of Pre-Application Webinar June 20, 2018. For information about the pre-application webinar, visit the FSCS website at https://innovation.ed.gov/what-we-do/parental-options/full-service-community-schools-program-fscs/applicant-info-and-eligibility/. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications July 13, 2018.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for ED GRANTS 061318 001

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: