2026–27 Public Charter Schools Program Subgrant

2026–27 Public Charter Schools Program Subgrant is sponsored by South Carolina Department of Education. Supports the planning and implementation of new charter schools for the 2026–27 school year.

2026-27 Public Charter Schools Program--Planning and Implementation Discretionary Subgrant - South Carolina Department of Education - 05/02/2026 8:40 PM Districts & Schools Educators Family & Community Career and Technical Education Early Learning and Literacy / Instructional Supports Special Education Services Virtual SC/Virtual Education District / School Closures Federal Education Programs School District Memoranda School Planning & Building Assessment Quick Links for Teachers Career and Technical Education Student Assessment Information Alternative Certification Programs Applying for Certification CTE Teacher Certification Noncertified Teacher Pilot Program Recruitment and Recognition Initiatives Certification Quick Links Adding Certification Fields Certification Assessments Certification Forms & Transcript Information Critical Need Subjects & Schools Exchange Visitor Teacher Programs Educator Certification Status: Public Lookup Employing Retired Educators Military Spouse Applicants Required Credentials for Educator Assignments Renewing a Professional Certificate Retired Educator Certificate Transferring an Out-of-State Certificate Career and Technical Education Early Learning and Literacy Duplicate High School Diploma GED/TASC Diploma or Transcript Freedom of Information Act Requests (FOIA) Health Education Information Education Scholarship Trust Fund Program 2026-27 Public Charter Schools Program--Planning and Implementation Discretionary Subgrant The purposes of the Charter School Program, as stated in the federal authorizing statute , is to improve the United States education system and education opportunities for all people in the United States by supporting innovation in public education in public school settings that prepare students to compete and contribute to the global economy and a stronger nation; provide financial assistance for the planning, program design, and initial implementation of charter schools; increase the number of high-quality charter schools available to students across the United States; evaluate the impact of charter schools on student achievement, families, and communities, and share best practices between charter schools and other public schools; encourage states to provide support to charter schools for facilities financing in an amount more nearly commensurate to the amount states typically provide for traditional public schools; expand opportunities for children with disabilities, English learners, and other traditionally underserved students to attend charter schools and meet the challenging state academic standards; support efforts to strengthen the charter school authorizing process to improve performance management, including transparency, oversight and monitoring (including financial audits), and evaluation of such schools; and support quality, accountability, and transparency in the operational performance of all authorized public chartering agencies, including state educational agencies, local educational agencies, and other authorizing entities.

Office of Education Choice and Family Engagement An eligible applicant must meet one of the criteria below. A new charter school that has received approval from its chartering sponsor (authorizer) to open in the 2026–27 or 2027–28 school year may submit a subgrant application for this funding round (see Appendix A, Definition of Terms Used of the Request for Proposals document).

A charter school that meets the federal definition of a charter school and is in the first year of operation may apply for an implementation-only subgrant for up to 24 months. A new charter school that has not yet received an approval/denial determination from its sponsor (authorizer) may also submit a subgrant application. However, to receive subgrant funds, the charter school must be officially approved by a sponsor (authorizer).

Funds will no t be awarded until the granting of a charter is confirmed. Maximum award of $1,000,000 for Targeted applicants and $850,000 for Typical applicants. 36 months for Planning and Implementation subgrants 24 months for Implementation-only subgrants Technical Assistance Session The SCDE Charter School Program provided a pre-application technical assistance session on March 23, 2026.

Email Charterschool@ed. sc. gov for access to the recording.

Request for Proposals (DOCX, 1. 40mb – 3/4/2026) Budget Forecast and Narrative (XLSX, 49. 3kb – 3/4/2026)