Funder: Department of Education
Due Dates: June 9, 2025 (Notice of Intent, encouraged) | July 8, 2025 (Application) | September 8, 2025 (Intergovernmental Review)
Funding Amounts: Estimated total: $10,000,000 | Typical award: $1M–$10M | Project period: up to 60 months | 1–2 awards expected
Summary: Supports states in establishing or enhancing per-pupil facilities aid programs for charter schools, providing annual financing for charter school facilities.
Key Information: State cost share required, increasing annually; only states are eligible applicants.
Description
This federal grant program, administered by the Department of Education's Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, provides competitive funding to eligible states to help them establish, enhance, and administer per-pupil facilities aid programs for charter schools. The goal is to address the significant challenge charter schools face in accessing affordable and appropriate facilities by supporting state-level programs that provide annual, per-pupil financing for charter school facilities. Charter schools benefiting from these programs must provide elementary or secondary education and may also serve early childhood or postsecondary students.
Due Dates
- Notice of Intent to Apply (encouraged): June 9, 2025
(Not required, but helps the Department plan for application volume)
- Application Deadline: July 8, 2025 (11:59:59 p.m. Eastern Time)
- Deadline for Intergovernmental Review: September 8, 2025
Funding Amount
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $10,000,000
- Estimated Range of Awards: $1,000,000 to $10,000,000
- Estimated Average Award: $10,000,000
- Expected Number of Awards: 1–2
- Project Period: Up to 60 months (5 years)
- Cost Sharing/Matching: Required; state share increases each year (10% in year 1, up to 80% in year 5). States may partner with organizations to meet up to 50% of the state share.
Eligibility
- Eligible Applicants:
- Only U.S. states (including DC, Puerto Rico, and outlying areas) are eligible.
- The state must have, or agree to develop, a per-pupil facilities aid program for charter schools that is specified in state law and provides annual, per-pupil financing for charter school facilities.
- States required by law to provide charter schools with adequate facility space, but lacking a per-pupil program, may apply if they commit to developing such a program with grant funds.
Application Process
- Application Package: Obtain from Grants.gov or the Department of Education website.
- Submission: Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov. Paper applications are discouraged and only permitted with prior notification.
- Required Registrations: Applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and active registration in SAM.gov.
- Formatting: Submit all documents as PDF or Microsoft Word files (read-only PDFs recommended).
- Notice of Intent: Email the program contact with subject “Intent to Apply” (include applicant and contact info).
- Pre-Application Webinar: Details will be posted on the SFIG Program web page.
Additional Information
- Competitive Preference Priorities:
- Capacity to offer public school choice in high-need communities (up to 6 points)
- Applicants that have not previously received a SFIG grant (3 points)
- Cost Sharing: State share increases annually (10%–80% over five years); partners may provide up to 50% of the state share.
- Supplement-Not-Supplant: Federal and matching funds must supplement, not supplant, existing state/local funds.
- Administrative Cost Limit: Up to 5% of the grant may be used for administrative expenses.
- Build America, Buy America Act: Domestic sourcing requirements apply for infrastructure projects.
- Reporting: Annual performance and financial reports required; open licensing of grant deliverables is required unless an exception applies.
- Technical Assistance: Grantees must participate in all technical assistance offerings provided by the Department.
External Links
Contact Information
| Name | Email | Phone | Address |
|---|
| Clifton Jones | charter.facilities@ed.gov | (202) 205-2204 | U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20202-5970 |
For general inquiries, see the Department of Education contact page.