Charter Schools Program Grant

Charter Schools Program Grant is sponsored by Ohio Department of Education and Workforce. Supports the creation and expansion of high-quality community schools across Ohio, focusing on regions with limited access to quality school options.

Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant | Ohio Department of Education and Workforce Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grant Grant Awards To Be Announced The Charter School Program grant request for applications is now closed. The Department will anounce awards in late July. Contact CommunitySchoolGrants@education.

ohio. gov with questions. In 2025, the U.S. Department of Education awarded Ohio the competitive Expanding Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Program – Grants to State Entities grant, known as the Charter School Program (CSP) Grant in Ohio.

CSP grant funds will be used to open new community schools and to replicate and expand high-quality community schools. The Charter School Program (CSP) grant is a competitive grant that provides federal funds to eligible grantees to expand access to high-quality community schools for Ohio’s students and their families.

The grant also provides funding for technical assistance for the grantees as well as Ohio’s sponsor and the wider community school network. The Department will promote and leverage best practices from high-quality community schools to benefit other community schools and traditional public districts and schools. Maximum awards to eligible grantees will be $2 million over the life of the grant.

There will be two types of subgrant awards available: Expansion of an existing high-quality community school Opening a new school or replicating an existing, high-quality model. To be eligible for CSP grant funds, school’s must meet the federal and state definitions of high-quality.

High-quality is defined as: Contracts with an authorizer rated Exemplary or Effective on its most recent evaluation; The two most recent audits conducted by the Auditor of State or other independent auditor have not identified any significant compliance issues; AND either (a) A Value-Added Progress rating of four or five stars and either (i) a Performance Index rating of three, four, or five stars, or (ii) an increase in Performance Index rating of five points or more over the three most recent school years; OR (b) A Value-Added Progress rating of three, four, or five stars and a Performance Index rating of four or five stars, OR (c) If the school did not receive a Value-Added Progress rating, the school received a Four-Year Graduation Rate rating of four or five stars, and (i) a Performance Index rating of three, four, or five stars or (ii) an increase in Performance Index rating of five points or more over the three most recent school years; OR (d) If the school received neither a Value-Added Progress rating nor a Four-Year Graduation Rate rating, an Early Literacy rating of four or five stars.

If the school has the Dropout Prevention and Recovery (DOPR) designation, the school must have received an overall rating of Exceeds Standards and a rating of Exceeds Standards for the Assessment Passage Rate on its most recent Dropout Prevention and Recovery Community School Report Card.

Grant Application and Submission Process Charter School Program Eligible Applicants - Expansion Charter School Program Eligible Applicants - New and Replication Applications will be submitted through the ED STEPS - One Funding Application CSP Technical Review Checklist Sponsor-Specific Assurances Frequently Asked Questions RFA Webinar: Part 1 - Grant Basics and Application Components Recording RFA Webinar: Part 2 - Application Narrative and Grantee Expectations Recording RFA Webinar Part 3 - ED STEPS One Funding Application Navigation Additional Documents and resources Informational Webinar Recording Informational Webinar Slide Deck Ohio's State Entity Charter School Program Grant Application Last Modified: 6/18/2026 9:23:27 AM