How to Get Charter School Grants

Starting a charter school takes a lot of work and a lot of money. One way to help making funding your charter school easier is to apply for education grants that are designed especially for charter schools. You can also apply for grants that are designed for general educational purposes.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Visit the Department of Education's web site and download the information packet on Charter Schools Programs. This is the main grant program that has been developed to fund charter schools. Its CFDA# is 84.282.
2. Determine if you qualify for grants offered under the Charter Schools Program. Generally you will need to be a State Education Agency. Non-SEA's can apply for grant money under sub-grant programs 84.282B and 84.282C.
3. Fill out a grant application and submit it before the deadline. The application deadline is usually in March for the 84.282A grants and in June for the 84.282B and 84.282C grants.
4. Identify other charter school grants and other educational grants that you can apply for. You can search for other federal grants, you can search for education grants offered by your state or you can search for grants offered by private organizations.

Tips & Warnings

• The Guide to U.S. Department of Education Programs is a great source to find other grants that you can use to fund your charter school.
• The Federal Register is a great place to find announcements for competitive grant programs.