External Organizations

The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) is required under Section 4203(a)(11) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Title IV, Part B, 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), to prescreen external organizations that could provide assistance with the implementation of 21st CCLC programs and make a list of prescreened external organizations available to the entities participating in the 21st CCLC program.

Partnering schools with community-based organizations with the intention of offering services to students and their families at ever increasing levels of quality is integral to the 21st Century Community Learning Center model and grant requirements. It is important for partners and schools to have clear and thorough communication around requirements of working with a federal grant program, records retention, and the proper use and confidentiality of student data. 

The external organization profile is not considered a contract between the external organization and the OSDE or the State Board of Education (SBE). Responses will only be used to create a preapproved external organization list for 21st CCLC grantees to select a partner from.

Click the link below to complete your organization profile. Profile submission process is currently open until Thursday, April 12th, 2018 at 3:00 p.m.

External Organization Profile

List of Preapproved 21st CCLC External Organizations

21st CCLC Prescreened External Organization FAQs

What is a prescreened external organization?

ESSA defines an external organization as a nonprofit organization with a record of success in running or working with before and afterschool (or summer recess) programs and activities; or in the case of a community where there is no such organization, a nonprofit organization in the community that enters into a written agreement or partnership with an organization with a record of success to receive mentoring and guidance in running or working with before and afterschool (or summer recess) programs and activities. The OSDE includes governmental organizations with this definition of external organizations.

How can my organization become an approved prescreened external organization?

An organization meets the minimum criteria for having a record of success when it submits a completed External Organization Profile prior to the deadline and meets the following requirements:

1. Operates as a nonprofit, governmental, or other tax exempt entity in good standing in Oklahoma; and
2. Provides evidence of having a minimum of five years of experience operating or delivering services to out-of-school time (OST) programs in Oklahoma. (OST refers to academic enrichment programs offered to students in grades K-12 before school, after school, or during the summer when regular school is not in session.)
3. The External Organization Profile must be completed in its entirety. Applications that clearly meet all criteria will be included on a list of prescreened organizations published on the OSDE’s website.

IMPORTANT: Submitting a Profile or being listed as a prescreened organization will not result in funding from OSDE. The completion of the application will not result in a contract with OSDE. Inclusion of an organization on the list is not an endorsement of the organization, nor is it a certification or guarantee of the quality of service provided by the organization. This solicitation has no bearing on any contracts or funding with the OSDE or other state agencies. Listed organizations are not prohibited from entering contractual agreements with 21st CCLC or other federally-funded grantees or contractors.

What is considered to be a “Nonprofit”?

Applicants are required to submit one or more of the following documents demonstrating the organization is a nonprofit in good standing operating in the state of Oklahoma:

• A copy of a letter from the Internal Revenue Service recognizing that contributions to the organization are tax deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• A statement from a state taxing body or the state attorney general certifying that the organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the state and that no part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private shareholder or individual;
• A certified copy of the applicant’s certificate of incorporation or similar document if it clearly establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant. If the item submitted applies to a state or national parent organization, it must be submitted together with a statement by the parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate. As part of the application process, the applicant will be required to certify that all the information is accurate; or
• A statement of verification that the organization is a governmental agency.

What does it mean to be "in good standing"?

The prospective external organization certifies to the best of their knowledge and belief, that they and their principals and participants:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded by any Federal, State, or local agency;
2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or pled guilty or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) contract; or for violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;
3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in the previous paragraph of this certification; and 
4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/profile had one or more public (Federal, State, or local) contracts terminated for cause or default.

What other information will I need to provide?

In addition to the nonprofit proof of good standing, each applicant will be asked to provide the following:

• A primary and secondary contact for the organization
• A link to the organization’s website
• A mission statement of the organization
• A description of experience and services provided for students and afterschool/summer programs
• Information about the organization's characteristics and service areas
• A description of the organization's evidence of success related to providing services for students
• Documentation of non-profit status or governmental agency
• The organization's most recent financial audit or tax return
• A letter of recommendation from a previous partner in a similar field of service

*All uploaded documents must be combined into one pdf per question respectively and sized 16 MB or less.

Is this preapproved external organization list only for 21st CCLC programs?

While the intention of this list is to provide a preapproved list of external organizations with whom 21st CCLC grantee programs may partner, many of these organizations can also be of benefit to a variety of other schools, community groups, and individuals.

What happens if we are not approved as an External Organization?

While the Profiles are reviewed by committee, the OSDE reserves the right to not accept an organization’s Profile and may remove an organization from the list when deemed in the best interest of Local Education Agencies (LEA’s).

Is the information we submit kept confidential?

Unless otherwise specified in the Oklahoma Open Records Act or other applicable law, documents and information an external organization submits as part of or in connection with a response to the External Organization Profile are public records and subject to disclosure. 

Responses to the External Organization Profile are subject to public disclosure in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act. To the extent permitted by such Act, the response will not be disclosed, except for purposes of evaluation, prior to approval by the OSDE. All material submitted becomes the property of the SBE and OSDE. Responses will not be considered confidential after approval by the OSDE except for information in the response marked proprietary and confidential. 

What if the 21st CCLC needs clarification about one of our answers?

The OSDE reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to request clarifications of technical information or to conduct discussions for the purpose of clarification with any or all external organizations. The purpose of any such discussions shall be to ensure full understanding of the information. If clarifications are made because of such discussion, the external organization(s) shall put such clarifications in writing. The clarification shall not alter or supplement the information submitted by the external organization.