21st CCLC Applicant Frequently Asked Questions
Prospective Applicants
What are other things we should think about as we consider hiring a grant writer?
What are the program evaluation requirements of this grant?
How do we determine what is a school site?
Can we serve students from more than two school sites if we bring them to one location?
May we submit a grant application past the deadline?
Navigating the Grants Management System
How do I know if I have entered or read all of the required information?
Can I write my grant in a word processor and paste all the information into the GMS?
I'm having trouble attaching a file.
Does the system time me out of my work?
Why did the system log me out?
I'm a double-clicker. Is that a problem?
Peer Reviewers
Who is eligible to be a peer reviewer?
Prospective Applicants
Who is eligible to apply?
Schools, school districts, and non-district organizations are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants must propose to serve students who attend a school site that is eligible for designation as a Title I school-wide program.
Non-district applicants may include: Non-Profit, For-Profit, Community-Based, and Faith-Based Organizations, in addition to Colleges or Universities, Municipalities or other non-school entities.
School-community partnership is a requirement of the grant. A partnership with a local school district is required for a non-district applicant to be eligible. Local Education Agency (LEA) applicants must, likewise, demonstrate partnerships with community-based organizations.
If our school district does not have a priority school site and we partner on application with a district that has a priority site, will the application receive the Competitive Priority points?
The USDE guidance states: "The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is to create community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities for children, particularly students who attend high poverty and low-performing schools to meet State and local student standards in core academic subjects, to offer students a broad array of enrichment activities that can complement their regular academic programs, and to offer literacy and other educational service to the families of participating children." Therefore, Oklahoma schools that hold a priority designation will be awarded competitive priority points in an effort to support school improvement.
In awarding competitive priority points, it is the OSDE’s intent that partnerships with an LEA designated as a priority school are developed in the spirit of supporting the students and families of the low-performing school. Three key requirements will be considered when awarding competitive priority points in a joint application. Is there evidence that:
- A strong MOU is in place between the districts. This must include both Superintendent and Board signatures. This MOU should cover the 5-year grant period.
- An equitable distribution of funds based on student enrollment and need has been developed.
- Services at the two sites are designed, developed, implemented and evaluated in a collaborative nature. Although we understand that each site will have their own specific needs based on their student population, this will be one grant application serving two sites.
Can we hire a grant writer?
Many applicants have wonderful programs planned, but do not feel confident in writing a competitive grant application. Grant writers may be hired; however, grant writing is NOT an allowable expense for reimbursement with these funds, if the applicant is awarded.
What are other things we should think about as we consider hiring a grant writer?
Your grant application is the basis for which we conduct monitoring and evaluation. If you are awarded, it is based on what is contained in the application. Make certain you are aware and have thoroughly reviewed all sections of the grant before submission - you will be held to the terms of the original application for the 3 - 5 year duration of your grant. This includes having the district financial officer approve the proposed budget, ensuring that is is in compliance with OCAS coding requirements, and that all proposed expenditures are reasonable, necessary, and appropriate.
The establishment of an advisory committee is a requirement of the grant. This committee should be deeply engaged in the development, implementation and evaluation of the program. The advisory committee should work closely with the grant writer (should you choose to hire one) to ensure that a thorough, consistent, and original application is submitted. Every grant application submitted must be an original application.
It is important to keep a copy of your grant application. Every superintendent/executive director should keep the original grant application and every site director/coordinator should have access to a copy of the grant as well as the ability to at least view the Grants Management System.
Can someone other than the chief official of our non-district organization be given the credentials to log into the GMS?
Only the chief official of your organization, the individual assuming legal responsibility for upholding the parameters of the grant proposal, will be given the credentials.
What are the program evaluation requirements of this grant?
The 21st CCLC program has an extensive evaluation system. Self-assessments are required each year of the grant. Program staff are required to attend annual training on the assessment tool and planning with data. An external assessment will be conducted in years two and three. Programs will be required to pay an assigned assessor a minimal fee to cover time and travel. Additionally, each site is required to purchase assessment materials annually. It is recommended that approximately $1,000 per school site served per year be budgeted to cover the evaluation requirements of this grant. Program evaluation outside of this system is not a grant requirement.
How do we determine what is a site?
Applicants are limited to serve students who attend no more than two sites in a multi-site application, and each site from which students attend must meet the eligibility requirements. For purposes of this grant a site will be defined using the school site listing as posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Education School District Directory at http://sde.ok.gov/sde/state-school-directory.
Can we serve students from more than two school sites, if we bring them to one location?
No. Prospective applicants are required to identify one or two school sites from which students will attend the program and serve only those students. This requirement is designed in order to ensure that there is no duplication of services and that there is an equitable distribution of funds among geographic areas within the state. Additionally, this greatly improves the process of collecting, following, and analyzing data throughout the duration of the grant.
May we submit a grant application past the deadline?
No, the system is set to remove the submit button at the time and date the grant is due. Although you may still go into the system, you will no longer have the ability to submit your application. Please plan accordingly and make sure you allow enough time for the system to complete the required consistency checks and make any necessary corrections. Again, the submit button will be removed and you will no longer be able to submit after the due date and time.
Navigating the Grants Management System
Can I print the application?
While you are in your application, the print tab is located at the far right side of the page. You will go in and request a print job. Every hour the system will generate a PDF document of your application. Return to this page in an hour and your PDF will be ready for print. Printing will not submit, change, or delete your application. Printing will NOT include your attachments. It is a good idea to keep track of what you attach on your own.
How do I know if I have entered or read all of the required information?
The application in the Grants Management System (GMS) is formatted utilizing a system of tabs. There will be one set of tabs across the top; each tab may or may not have another set level of tabs that will open below it. Some of the second level tabs will also open a third row of tabs below them. Be sure to click through all the tabs available to orient yourself to the application and to make sure you did not skip any important information or pages.
See this outline of the tabs in the grant application to help you ensure every page has been visited: 21st CCLC Application Tabs Outline
Can we write the grant application answers in a word processor and paste all the information into the GMS?
We do NOT recommend that you copy and paste from word processing document. The system does not always read the formatting you have added in a word processing document. If you must copy and paste something, we recommend that you ONLY do so from a plain-text editor such as Notepad.
I'm having trouble attaching a file.
Make sure your file is between 3 and 5 MB (megabytes) in size and does NOT contain any Make sure you special characters in the file name (# @ % & *).
Does the system time me out of my work?
The GMS will timeout approximately every half hour if you are not working in the system. Remember to save your work often! Every time you enter something substantial, it is a good idea to save your page and continue working.
Why did the system log me out?
The Grants Management System is a web-based system. At times, moving too quickly or clicking on an option multiple times may cause you to be logged off and you will receive an error message. After clicking on a radio button to select an option, give your computer a moment to register what you just did before clicking any other buttons to continue.
I'm a double-clicker. Is that a problem?
Double-clicking may get you logged off as well. All buttons in the GMS need only ONE click. Sometimes the system moves slower than at other times; please be patient and allow time for it to register your selection.
Peer Reviewers
What does peer review mean?
Peer review is a process of scoring applications by other professionals who have experience and expertise in a given area. Each grant application is reviewed by a minimum of three peer reviewers. The final score of your grant application is the total of all three scores from each of the peer reviewers.
Who is eligible to be a peer reviewer?
Qualified applicants will possess one or more of the following:
- Knowledge of the impact that afterschool learning opportunities have on improving the academic achievement of students;
- Experience in an education-related field;
- Experience working with a variety of community members to forge meaningful partnerships that foster commitment to improving the lives of our youth and their families;
- Previous experience/expertise as a grant reviewer and/or grant recipient.
Where is the scoring rubric?
Peer reviewers will score grants in the rubric that appears in a pop-up window. As you prepare to enter the GMS, be sure to turn off your browser's pop-up blockers.
If you do not already know how to do this, please click on the internet browser below for detailed instructions on how to turn your pop-up blockers off.
If you still cannot find the pop-up rubric window, please call our office for assistance before proceeding.
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