Over a year ago, professional colleagues worried about all grants disappearing under the Trump administration. They were concerned that grant professionals would no longer have a job. Truthfully, 2017 provided plenty of proposal work, and I don’t envision grants disappearing at all in my lifetime.
NCLB. ESEA. ESSA. 21st CCLC. E-Rate. CTE. IDEA. Besides this dizzying array of acronyms causing anxiety in many, we now face a new tax bill, new rules about charitable donations and nonprofit organizations, another possible government shutdown, a new border wall and an ongoing teacher shortage. Let’s consider some of these issues in 2018, and be thankful for all the grants awarded in 2017. The FY 2018 President’s Budget focuses on school choice, maintaining support of vulnerable students, making postsecondary funding easier, educational innovation and reducing the Federal role in education.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) puts more control in the hands of states and schools, and amends the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965. The 2002 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is no longer in effect. ESSA impacts Title I, Title II, Title III, Title IV, RLIS, IDEA, McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youths and many other funding streams for schools. Accountability and transparency are still at the forefront, and each grant must match a school’s needs assessment and education plan. ESSA funding is decided on a complex formula based on U.S. Census poverty counts from each community. Public schools receive their allocations first, followed by charter schools. Many schools faced decreased Title I funds in 2017. The 2018 budget increases Title I funds by $1 billion for supplemental Furthering Options for Children to Unlock Success (FOCUS) grants. Charter school funding in 2018 increases by $167 million.
Continue reading about IDEA, CCLC and E-Rate on GovGrantsHelp.com.