How to Apply

Step 1: Read and Prepare

Potential applicants need to form advisory boards, conduct needs assessments, and begin working on their applications as early as possible - even up to a year in advance.

21st Century Community Learning Center (CCLC) programs provide safe, enriching learning opportunities for students during their out-of-school time.  This may include before school, after school, summer and school breaks.  Through community partnerships, these programs are designed to offer students academic enrichment through hands-on, project-based and active learning strategies.  As a supplemental program, the 21st CCLC design should align with or complement regular academic programming, but not replicate it.

Eligible applicants must propose to serve students who attend a school site that is eligible for designation as a Title I school-wide program.

Faith-based and community-based organizations may apply in partnership with a local school district. Applicants may apply to serve students from up to two (2) school sites with the grant. For purposes of this grant, a school site will be defined using the school site listing as posted on the OSDE School Site Total List.

In some cases, private schools and Native American tribes must be included in consultation about the design of the program before submitting an application. Please make sure to review the Tribal Consultation Guide and check out our Applicant FAQs page for more information on this and how to find out if your potential program will need to include this in its program partners and design.

The 21st CCLC grant is an annual grant competition dependent upon available federal funding. If you would like an immediate notification when the grant opens, please sign up for the e-newsletter in the bottom right corner of the front page of the OSDE website. 

Throughout the year prior to writing an application, it is expected that high-quality applicants will take the following steps:

• Develop an advisory committee
• Conduct a needs assessment
• Engage community partners and stakeholders
• Develop a proposed program design

You for Youth

You for Youth has a helpful tool, Introduction to 21st CCLC Implementation Planning Checklist, that you can utilize in order to ensure that you are preparing a grant that best meets the needs of your community.

Advisory Committee

The establishment of an advisory committee is a requirement of this grant. This committee should meet together regularly and play a key role in writing and implementing the 21st CCLC grant proposal. The role of an advisory committee is to function as a leadership group to the 21st CCLC; advising and guiding the school administrator, program director, and staff in the areas of but not limited to: community engagement and support, conducting needs assessments, grant and program development, obtaining resources, and strengthening assets. It is encouraged that the advisory committee be involved in major aspects of the program and regularly participates in events, activities, and various aspects of the program as needed and to fulfill their role. Throughout the term of the grant, the advisory committee will be expected to remain deeply engaged in the development, implementation, and evaluation of the program.

Use the Advisory Committee Membership List form as you build the advisory committee throughout the year. This form is a required upload for the grant application. All members listed should be actively involved in all aspects of the planning, implementation, and improvement process throughout the entire five-year duration of the grant.

Program monitoring and evaluation are two of the most important aspects of a quality 21st CCLC program. The advisory committee should plan to participate in monitoring visits and also participate in program evaluation to gain an understanding of the full scope of the program development.

If a grant writer is used, the advisory committee should work closely with that person to ensure that a reasonable, consistent, and original application is submitted. The awarded organization will be held responsible for the execution of the program plan and performance goals as stated in the application.

• Grant funds cannot be used to pay for a grant writer
• Awarded applicants will be held to the application that was submitted
• Grant writer must be identified
• Advisory Committee must be involved in writing the grant

Every grant application submitted must be an original application.

As well as an engaged advisory committee, a healthy 21st CCLC program has a list of engaged community partner organizations that may or may not serve on the advisory committee. As you develop your grant program throughout the year, the Partnership Information List is a required upload in the grant application and you can use it throughout the year to keep track of your community partners and continue to keep them involved. 

Along with an advisory committee and community partners, if the grant applicant is a non-district organization, they are required to have a thorough partnership with a school district, specifically no more than two school sites as defined by school site code.  However, beginning with the 2022-23 grant competition, applicants may apply to serve the entire district if district wide enrollment is less than 300 students.  Your school or district partner will help you with more school site codes and information if you need it. The School Collaboration Signature form is a required upload in the grant application for non-district grant applicants.

Needs Assessment

Use specific, relevant, and current data regarding the students and families to be served by the project, including recent community needs assessments and an inventory of community assets/resources. The application must accurately reflect the unique demographics and formally identified needs of the applicant district and sites.

Engaging District Financial Officers

Prospective applicants are encouraged to engage LEA financial officers in the application process. Thorough knowledge of current financial supports will reduce the risk of supplanting funds, ensuring that all proposed items in the budget are reasonable, necessary, and appropriate. Financial officers of school districts will also be familiar with the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System (OCAS) coding requirements, ensuring correct coding and budgeting procedures from the beginning.

Grant Guidance

The 21st CCLC grant is a federal grant and therefore adheres to very specific parameters in certain areas. We strongly encourage prospective applicants to gain thorough knowledge and understanding of both the USDE Guidance and the OSDE Guidance before applying.

• USDE Guidance (pdf)

• OSDE Guidance (pdf)

Begin the Application Process

The grant competition opens in the Spring and all links to grant forms will become live at the time. This section is intended to give you an idea of the grant process when it is open. Please follow these steps to complete the application process. Grants will be awarded pending the availability of federal funds.

A visual flowchart is available to help with the application process.

Step 2: ALL applicants MUST complete a Letter of Intent form

Every grant applicant whether a school district or a community-based organization must complete the Letter of Intent form and submit it before proceeding to the online system to begin writing the proposal. Failure to submit a Letter of Intent prior to the deadline may invalidate your application. 

• Letter of Intent form The Letter of Intent is now CLOSED.

Step 3: Obtain Grants Management System Access

*School districts skip to Step 4. 

Grant applications for 21st CCLC funding are completed through the online Grants Management System (GMS). All non-district organizations will receive log-in credentials from the 21st CCLC office to gain access to the GMS. Please fill out the Credential Request form, sign the form, and email a scanned copy to: [email protected].

• Credential Request Form (pdf) 
• Community-based organizations that have previously been funded do not need to request new credentials.
• The authorized representative of your organization will be contacted by phone and given the credentials to access the grant application for all users listed on the Credential Request Form along with a link and instructions for accessing the GMS directly.

Step 4: Login and BEGIN YOUR APPLICATION

The application is located in the Grants Management System (GMS). You may begin working on the application once you have submitted the Letter of Intent and have GMS access.  

This document will help acquaint applicants with How To Apply - Navigating the Grant Application.

School districts may access the GMS through the Single Sign-On system to prepare the grant application. Non-district community-based organizations may access the application by the direct link to the Grants Management System that was provided by the 21st CCLC grant office.

Please continue to refer to the USDE and the OSDE Grant Guidance as well as the Applicant FAQs on the 21st CCLC website as you construct your application.

Remember:

• The application has a hard deadline. At that time, the system will close and no other applications will be accepted.

• Answers to many of your questions may be found on the Applicant FAQs page. 

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