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Rural and Low-Income School Program is sponsored by U.S. Department of Education. Formula grants provided to rural school districts to support student achievement and help small districts meet federal performance standards.
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Rural and Low-Income School Program | U.S. Department of Education Rural and Low-Income School Program Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) RLIS Applicant Information The purpose of the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program is to provide rural districts with financial assistance for initiatives aimed at improving student achievement.
The grant is non-competitive, and eligibility is determined by statute. Awards are issued annually to State education agencies (SEAs), which make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) that meet the applicable requirements. Awards are made to all SEAs that apply and meet the applicable requirements.
Under the RLIS program, grants are made to SEAs with eligible school districts. SEAs subgrant RLIS funds to eligible school districts to pay for activities authorized under Titles I-IV of the ESEA, as well as parental involvement activities. If a State elects to not participate in the RLIS program, eligible LEAs from that State are considered specially qualified agencies (SQAs) and can apply directly to the Department for RLIS awards.
In order to be eligible school districts must have at least 20 percent of the children they serve come from families with incomes below the poverty line and be located in a rural area. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers for the RLIS and SQA programs are 84. 358B and 84.
358C. LEAs that receive RLIS grants may use the funds to carry out the following types of activities: Title I, Part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies) Example: A school district develops an entrepreneurial education program to supplement its civics curriculum.
Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction) Example: A school district pays the stipend for a prospective teacher to work alongside an effective teacher, who is the teacher of record, for a full academic year. Title III (Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students) Example: A school district offers an afterschool enrichment program for English learners.
Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) Example: A school district purchases a bully prevention program for all schools. Parental and Family Engagement Professional development for school personnel regarding parent and family engagement strategies. Providing materials to help parents improve their child's academic achievement (e.g. trainings on school online portals).
Enabling parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions (e.g. provide childcare). Establishing formal parental advisory council. How to apply for an RLIS grant (for SEAs) The Rural and Low-Income School Program is a state-administered formula program.
SEAs apply for RLIS through the consolidated state application or a program-specific application. How to apply for an RLIS sub-grant (for LEAs) Eligible LEAs apply directly to their state for RLIS funds. The application process for sub-grants varies by state.
For more information on how to apply for RLIS funds, please contact your REAP State Coordinator . The U.S. Department of Education annually produces a REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) to determine which LEAs are eligible for SRSA and RLIS. Access the current FY2026 REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet Review the information and contact your REAP State Coordinator with updates, if necessary.
For primary and secondary contact changes for your LEA, please send updates to reap@ed. gov . When making a contact change, send the full name and email of the person being replaced, the full name and email of the person who will be the new contact, and indicate if the new contact will be the primary or secondary contact for your LEA.
Note that it may take up to a week to see that change reflected on the MES posted here. Prior Year REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheets Note: These historical MES spreadsheets also include final award information.
Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY23 Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY24 Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY25 An LEA is eligible to participate in the RLIS program if it meets the statutory criteria of being both low-income and rural (see ESEA section 5221(b)(1)).
To be considered low-income, 20 percent or more of the children ages five to 17 served by the LEA must be from families with incomes below the poverty line, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE).
Rural non-geographic LEAs for which SAIPE data are not available that are eligible based on the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA, consistent with 34 C. F. R.
§ 200. 72, are also eligible for RLIS funds. To be considered rural, all schools comprising the LEA must have a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 (assigned by NCES), or be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.
RLIS-eligible LEAs do not receive their grant funds directly from the Department. The Department awards funds to SEAs administering the RLIS program, which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs based on SEA procedures. Therefore, an SEA may establish an award process that does not guarantee every RLIS-eligible LEA will receive a grant.
To see how RLIS differs from SRSA, view the Considerations for Dual-Eligible LEAs Venn Diagram . RLIS Grant Program Performance The RLIS program provides grant funds to rural LEAs that serve concentrations of children from low-income families. Under RLIS, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards funds to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn make subgrants to LEAs.
An SEA may award the RLIS grant funds to its eligible LEAs via a formula or via a competition. In some cases, the Department awards RLIS funds directly to eligible LEAs; these LEAs are referred to as specially qualified agencies (SQAs).
Whether receiving a subgrant from its SEA or a grant directly from the Department, an LEA uses these funds to support a range of authorized activities, in order to assist students in meeting challenging State academic standards.
As part of the Department's responsibility for fiscal and programmatic oversight and to identify areas in which SEAs and SQAs need assistance and support to meet their goals and objectives, the Department periodically assesses the extent to which SEAs and SQAs comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements.
Please see the two sections below specific to SEA performance reviews and SQA performance reviews: SEA Performance Information Recent monitoring reports detailing SEA compliance with RLIS program and fiscal requirements are available at the School Support and Accountability Performance webpage .
SEAs preparing for a future monitoring review may wish to reference past monitoring reports from other SEAs to learn more about the requirements that the review is conducted against and the potential outcomes from a monitoring review.
These outcomes include areas of commendation, areas that meet requirements, areas with recommendations from the Department, and areas with required actions that must be addressed in order to comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements. SQA Performance Information The Office of Rural, Insular, and Native Achievement Programs (RINAP) is committed to supporting RLIS-SQA program grantees as they implement Federal grant programs.
Part of this commitment includes a monitoring process designed to not only address RINAP's responsibilities for fiscal and programmatic oversight, but to also identify areas in which grantees need assistance and support to meet their goals and obligations.
The monitoring process is anchored around ongoing conversations between RINAP program officers and grantees and is conducted using both off-site (desk) monitoring, as well as on-site monitoring visits to grantees.
The goal of the monitoring process is to conduct a program-centered, performance-focused review of fiscal and program requirements through a single, streamlined process that results in improved and strengthened partnerships between the Department and grantees.
To accomplish this, the RINAP monitoring process is organized into specific grant performance topics, which reflect the programmatic and fiscal requirements of the RLIS-SQA program. Monitoring reports are provided in the table below and assess an SQA's grant administration and fiscal management processes based on information provided through the review process, and other relevant qualitative and quantitative data.
Monitoring reports are designed to communicate to SQAs and stakeholders the status of program implementation, noting areas where the SQA is excelling and areas that require attention.
SPECIALLY QUALIFIED AGENCY STATE FISCAL YEAR REPORT Hydaburg City School District AK 2021 PDF Resolution Northwest Arctic Borough School District AK 2021 PDF REAP Informational Document The REAP Informational Document is a comprehensive resource for recipients of the SRSA and RLIS grants and other stakeholders that includes essential information on relevant REAP processes, such as grant eligibility criteria, application process, allowable uses of funds, and the monitoring process.
REAP Informational Document REAP Grant Performance Periods UEIs and the System for Award Management (SAM) The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned to an LEA by SAM. All grantee LEAs need a UEI that is active and registered in SAM. gov to access REAP funds.
The UEI registration and annual reactivation processes in SAM. gov are completely free. To check the registration status of your LEA's UEI, use the SAM.
gov Status Tracker . You may also use the FSD. gov Live Chat to connect with a SAM agent directly.
For more support, please visit REAP's UEI and SAM Support webpage . Accessing Grant Awards in G5 G5 is the U.S. Department of Education's (Department) online platform for grant management. Creating an account, logging in, and obtaining Payee Access allows SRSA grantees to view and draw down awarded grant funds across multiple fiscal years.
For a step-by-step guide for accessing SRSA funds in G5, visit our G5 Support webpage . For questions about this transition, you may reach out to the Department's Office of Business Support Services helpdesk by calling 1-888-336-8930 or sending an email to obsshelpdesk@ed. gov .
FY 2025 SRSA Application Overview Webinar FY 2025 SRSA Application Webinar 2 FY 2025 SRSA Welcome and Orientation Webinar Webinar Recording | Slides UEI Registration and Validation for Rural LEAs (Webinar by GSA) Webinar Recording | Slides Strategic Use of Funds: Title IV, Part A and REAP Funds Presentation General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) REAP Guide to GEPA Statements for SRSA Grantees The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Rural Education Resources NCES locale codes of individual schools NCES Locale Lookup Interactive Map Additional Contact Information REAP State Coordinator Contacts To reach your U.S. Department of Education REAP Program Officer please email REAP@ed.
gov RLIS Hold Harmless Eligibility Impact of the Hold Harmless Provision on RLIS Eligibility in Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through 2027 On March 23, 2024, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, (the Act) became law. The Act increases the amount a local educational agency (LEA) eligible to receive an RLIS award under the program's "hold harmless" provision (described below) may receive in fiscal year (FY) 2024, from 66.
67 percent to 83. 33 percent of that LEA's FY 2019 RLIS award. For more information on the hold harmless provision, refer to the below letter from the REAP Team sent to REAP State Coordinators on February 3, 2021, which has now been updated to reflect this change in percentage for FY 2024.
This letter addresses eligibility requirements for local educational agencies (LEAs) for fiscal years (FYs) 2021 through 2027 under the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program given the hold harmless provision included in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act) , which became law on December 27, 2020.
As is the case each year, under section 5221(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), an LEA is eligible for an RLIS grant if (1) twenty percent or more of the children ages 5 through 17 served by the LEA are from families below the poverty line, as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data or, for an LEA for which SAIPE data are unavailable, the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA and (2) it is rural based on the statutory criteria described in ESEA section 5221(b).
Starting in FY 2021, in accordance with a "hold harmless" provision in section 316(a) of the Act, when making RLIS awards in FYs 2021 through 2027, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) must also consider as eligible for an RLIS grant an LEA that does not meet the eligibility requirements in ESEA section 5221(b)(1) but (1) received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State, (2) had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019, and (3) meets the rural eligibility criteria described in section 5221(b) of the ESEA for the fiscal year for which the current eligibility determination is being made.
The Department has determined that 198 LEAs across the nation received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State and had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019 (i.e., there are up to 198 LEAs that fall under the hold harmless provision each year).
A list of the 198 LEAs is available on the hold harmless (HH) tab of the Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) available on the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) website at this link . Each of these LEAs will be eligible to receive an RLIS award under the hold harmless provision each FY with two exceptions.
First, if, in a given FY, an LEA meets the eligibility criteria in ESEA section 5221(b)(1), the LEA will be eligible for the full amount of its award (i.e., its eligibility for that FY will not be based on the hold harmless provision but instead will be based on ESEA section 5221(b)(1)).
Second, if an LEA does not meet the statutory criteria to be considered "rural" in a FY, it will not be eligible to receive an RLIS award under the hold harmless provision for that FY.
In each of the years included in the hold harmless period, an LEA that receives an award under the hold harmless provision will receive no more than the respective percent of the RLIS award amount the LEA received in FY 2019, as indicated in the chart below: Fiscal Year Hold Harmless Percentage- based on the LEA's FY 2019 award amount 2021 100% 2022 100% 2023 83. 33% 2024 83. 33%* 2025 50% 2026 83.
33%** 2027 16. 67% *Pursuant to the Act, 2024, the FY 2024 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 66. 67% to 83.
33%. **Pursuant to the Act, 2026, the FY 2026 Hold Harmless percentage based on the LEA's FY 2019 award was increased from 33. 33% to 83.
33%. To determine the RLIS allocation for each State, the Department determines whether each LEA in each State is eligible for RLIS and the estimated amount of each LEA's award, which, beginning with the Department's FY 2021 allocation process, will take into account, for an LEA eligible under the hold harmless provision, the award amount percentages included in the chart above.
The FY 2021 MES on the REAP website provides initial information related to FY 2021 awards. Column N on the "HH" tab on the MES notes whether an LEA is eligible under either the eligibility criteria described in the ESEA (designated as "RLIS") or the hold harmless provision (designated as "HH"). The RLIS estimated allocation for each LEA is available in Column P on the "Eligibility-All LEAs" tab.
If you have any questions about RLIS eligibility, please contact the REAP team at REAP@ed. gov or 202-401-0039. Group Leader, Rural Education Achievement Program Amount of funding Congress approved for the Rural Education Achievement Program, by year.
Also see how the REAP team distributes the funds between its two grant programs; SRSA and RLIS.
Fiscal Year REAP Funding (total) SRSA Funding Portion RLIS Funding Portion 2025 $220,000,000 $110,000,000 $110,000,000 2024 $220,000,000 $110,000,000 $110,000,000 2023 $215,000,000 $107,500,000 $107,500,000 2022 $195,000,000 $97,500,000 $97,500,000 2021 $187,840,000 $93,920,000 $93,920,000 2020 $185,840,000 $92,920,000 $92,920,000 2019 $180,840,000 $90,420,000 $90,420,000 2018 $180,840,000 $90,420,000 $90,420,000 2017 $175,840,000 $87,920,000 $87,920,000 2016 $175,840,000 $87,920,000 $87,920,000 2015 $169,840,000 $84,920,000 $84,920,000 2014 $169,840,000 $84,920,000 $84,920,000 2013 $169,840,000 $84,920,000 $84,920,000 2012 $179,193,000 $89,596,500 $89,596,500 2011 $174,532,000 $87,266,000 $87,266,000 2010 $174,882,000 $87,441,000 $87,441,000 2009 $173,382,000 $86,691,000 $86,691,000 2008 $171,854,000 $85,927,000 $85,927,000 2007 $168,919,000 $84,459,500 $84,459,500 2006 $168,919,000 $84,459,500 $84,459,500 2005 $170,624,000 $85,312,000 $85,312,000 2004 $167,831,000 $83,915,500 $83,915,500 2003 $167,653,000 $83,826,500 $83,826,500 2002 $162,500,000 $81,250,000 $81,250,000 The purpose of the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program is to provide rural districts with financial assistance for initiatives aimed at improving student achievement.
The grant is non-competitive, and eligibility is determined by statute. Awards are issued annually to State education agencies (SEAs), which make subgrants to local education agencies (LEAs) that meet the applicable requirements. Awards are made to all SEAs that apply and meet the applicable requirements.
Under the RLIS program, grants are made to SEAs with eligible school districts. SEAs subgrant RLIS funds to eligible school districts to pay for activities authorized under Titles I-IV of the ESEA, as well as parental involvement activities. If a State elects to not participate in the RLIS program, eligible LEAs from that State are considered specially qualified agencies (SQAs) and can apply directly to the Department for RLIS awards.
In order to be eligible school districts must have at least 20 percent of the children they serve come from families with incomes below the poverty line and be located in a rural area. The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers for the RLIS and SQA programs are 84. 358B and 84.
358C. LEAs that receive RLIS grants may use the funds to carry out the following types of activities: Title I, Part A (Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local Education Agencies) Example: A school district develops an entrepreneurial education program to supplement its civics curriculum.
Title II, Part A (Supporting Effective Instruction) Example: A school district pays the stipend for a prospective teacher to work alongside an effective teacher, who is the teacher of record, for a full academic year. Title III (Language Instruction for English Learners and Immigrant Students) Example: A school district offers an afterschool enrichment program for English learners.
Title IV, Part A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment) Example: A school district purchases a bully prevention program for all schools. Parental and Family Engagement Professional development for school personnel regarding parent and family engagement strategies. Providing materials to help parents improve their child's academic achievement (e.g. trainings on school online portals).
Enabling parents to participate in school-related meetings and training sessions (e.g. provide childcare). Establishing formal parental advisory council. RLIS Applicant Information How to apply for an RLIS grant (for SEAs) The Rural and Low-Income School Program is a state-administered formula program.
SEAs apply for RLIS through the consolidated state application or a program-specific application. How to apply for an RLIS sub-grant (for LEAs) Eligible LEAs apply directly to their state for RLIS funds. The application process for sub-grants varies by state.
For more information on how to apply for RLIS funds, please contact your REAP State Coordinator . The U.S. Department of Education annually produces a REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) to determine which LEAs are eligible for SRSA and RLIS. Access the current FY2026 REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet Review the information and contact your REAP State Coordinator with updates, if necessary.
For primary and secondary contact changes for your LEA, please send updates to reap@ed. gov . When making a contact change, send the full name and email of the person being replaced, the full name and email of the person who will be the new contact, and indicate if the new contact will be the primary or secondary contact for your LEA.
Note that it may take up to a week to see that change reflected on the MES posted here. Prior Year REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheets Note: These historical MES spreadsheets also include final award information.
Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY23 Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY24 Historical REAP Master Eligibility Spreadsheet FY25 An LEA is eligible to participate in the RLIS program if it meets the statutory criteria of being both low-income and rural (see ESEA section 5221(b)(1)).
To be considered low-income, 20 percent or more of the children ages five to 17 served by the LEA must be from families with incomes below the poverty line, based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE).
Rural non-geographic LEAs for which SAIPE data are not available that are eligible based on the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA, consistent with 34 C. F. R.
§ 200. 72, are also eligible for RLIS funds. To be considered rural, all schools comprising the LEA must have a school locale code of 32, 33, 41, 42, or 43 (assigned by NCES), or be located in an area of the State defined as rural by a governmental agency of the State.
RLIS-eligible LEAs do not receive their grant funds directly from the Department. The Department awards funds to SEAs administering the RLIS program, which in turn award subgrants to eligible LEAs based on SEA procedures. Therefore, an SEA may establish an award process that does not guarantee every RLIS-eligible LEA will receive a grant.
To see how RLIS differs from SRSA, view the Considerations for Dual-Eligible LEAs Venn Diagram . RLIS Grant Program Performance The RLIS program provides grant funds to rural LEAs that serve concentrations of children from low-income families. Under RLIS, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) awards funds to State educational agencies (SEAs), which in turn make subgrants to LEAs.
An SEA may award the RLIS grant funds to its eligible LEAs via a formula or via a competition. In some cases, the Department awards RLIS funds directly to eligible LEAs; these LEAs are referred to as specially qualified agencies (SQAs).
Whether receiving a subgrant from its SEA or a grant directly from the Department, an LEA uses these funds to support a range of authorized activities, in order to assist students in meeting challenging State academic standards.
As part of the Department's responsibility for fiscal and programmatic oversight and to identify areas in which SEAs and SQAs need assistance and support to meet their goals and objectives, the Department periodically assesses the extent to which SEAs and SQAs comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements.
Please see the two sections below specific to SEA performance reviews and SQA performance reviews: SEA Performance Information Recent monitoring reports detailing SEA compliance with RLIS program and fiscal requirements are available at the School Support and Accountability Performance webpage .
SEAs preparing for a future monitoring review may wish to reference past monitoring reports from other SEAs to learn more about the requirements that the review is conducted against and the potential outcomes from a monitoring review.
These outcomes include areas of commendation, areas that meet requirements, areas with recommendations from the Department, and areas with required actions that must be addressed in order to comply with RLIS program and fiscal requirements. SQA Performance Information The Office of Rural, Insular, and Native Achievement Programs (RINAP) is committed to supporting RLIS-SQA program grantees as they implement Federal grant programs.
Part of this commitment includes a monitoring process designed to not only address RINAP's responsibilities for fiscal and programmatic oversight, but to also identify areas in which grantees need assistance and support to meet their goals and obligations.
The monitoring process is anchored around ongoing conversations between RINAP program officers and grantees and is conducted using both off-site (desk) monitoring, as well as on-site monitoring visits to grantees.
The goal of the monitoring process is to conduct a program-centered, performance-focused review of fiscal and program requirements through a single, streamlined process that results in improved and strengthened partnerships between the Department and grantees.
To accomplish this, the RINAP monitoring process is organized into specific grant performance topics, which reflect the programmatic and fiscal requirements of the RLIS-SQA program. Monitoring reports are provided in the table below and assess an SQA's grant administration and fiscal management processes based on information provided through the review process, and other relevant qualitative and quantitative data.
Monitoring reports are designed to communicate to SQAs and stakeholders the status of program implementation, noting areas where the SQA is excelling and areas that require attention.
SPECIALLY QUALIFIED AGENCY STATE FISCAL YEAR REPORT Hydaburg City School District AK 2021 PDF Resolution Northwest Arctic Borough School District AK 2021 PDF REAP Informational Document The REAP Informational Document is a comprehensive resource for recipients of the SRSA and RLIS grants and other stakeholders that includes essential information on relevant REAP processes, such as grant eligibility criteria, application process, allowable uses of funds, and the monitoring process.
REAP Informational Document REAP Grant Performance Periods UEIs and the System for Award Management (SAM) The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is a 12-character alphanumeric ID assigned to an LEA by SAM. All grantee LEAs need a UEI that is active and registered in SAM. gov to access REAP funds.
The UEI registration and annual reactivation processes in SAM. gov are completely free. To check the registration status of your LEA's UEI, use the SAM.
gov Status Tracker . You may also use the FSD. gov Live Chat to connect with a SAM agent directly.
For more support, please visit REAP's UEI and SAM Support webpage . Accessing Grant Awards in G5 G5 is the U.S. Department of Education's (Department) online platform for grant management. Creating an account, logging in, and obtaining Payee Access allows SRSA grantees to view and draw down awarded grant funds across multiple fiscal years.
For a step-by-step guide for accessing SRSA funds in G5, visit our G5 Support webpage . For questions about this transition, you may reach out to the Department's Office of Business Support Services helpdesk by calling 1-888-336-8930 or sending an email to obsshelpdesk@ed. gov .
FY 2025 SRSA Application Overview Webinar FY 2025 SRSA Application Webinar 2 FY 2025 SRSA Welcome and Orientation Webinar Webinar Recording | Slides UEI Registration and Validation for Rural LEAs (Webinar by GSA) Webinar Recording | Slides Strategic Use of Funds: Title IV, Part A and REAP Funds Presentation General Education Provisions Act (GEPA) REAP Guide to GEPA Statements for SRSA Grantees The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Rural Education Resources NCES locale codes of individual schools NCES Locale Lookup Interactive Map Additional Contact Information REAP State Coordinator Contacts To reach your U.S. Department of Education REAP Program Officer please email REAP@ed.
gov RLIS Hold Harmless Eligibility Impact of the Hold Harmless Provision on RLIS Eligibility in Fiscal Years (FY) 2021 through 2027 On March 23, 2024, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, (the Act) became law. The Act increases the amount a local educational agency (LEA) eligible to receive an RLIS award under the program's "hold harmless" provision (described below) may receive in fiscal year (FY) 2024, from 66.
67 percent to 83. 33 percent of that LEA's FY 2019 RLIS award. For more information on the hold harmless provision, refer to the below letter from the REAP Team sent to REAP State Coordinators on February 3, 2021, which has now been updated to reflect this change in percentage for FY 2024.
This letter addresses eligibility requirements for local educational agencies (LEAs) for fiscal years (FYs) 2021 through 2027 under the Rural and Low-Income School (RLIS) program given the hold harmless provision included in the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021 (Act) , which became law on December 27, 2020.
As is the case each year, under section 5221(b)(1) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA), an LEA is eligible for an RLIS grant if (1) twenty percent or more of the children ages 5 through 17 served by the LEA are from families below the poverty line, as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau's Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data or, for an LEA for which SAIPE data are unavailable, the same State-derived equivalent of SAIPE data that the State uses to make allocations under Part A of Title I of the ESEA and (2) it is rural based on the statutory criteria described in ESEA section 5221(b).
Starting in FY 2021, in accordance with a "hold harmless" provision in section 316(a) of the Act, when making RLIS awards in FYs 2021 through 2027, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) must also consider as eligible for an RLIS grant an LEA that does not meet the eligibility requirements in ESEA section 5221(b)(1) but (1) received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State, (2) had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019, and (3) meets the rural eligibility criteria described in section 5221(b) of the ESEA for the fiscal year for which the current eligibility determination is being made.
The Department has determined that 198 LEAs across the nation received an RLIS grant in FY 2019 on the basis of alternative poverty data submitted by the State and had a service area in which less than 20 percent of children ages 5 through 17 were from families with incomes below the poverty line, as determined by SAIPE data in FY 2019 (i.e., there are up to 198 LEAs that fall under the hold harmless provision each year).
A list of the 198 LEAs is available on the hold harmless (HH) tab of the Master Eligibility Spreadsheet (MES) available on the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP) website at this link . Each of these LEAs will
Based on current listing details, eligibility includes: Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) where 20% or more of children ages 5-17 are from families below the poverty line, and all schools have qualifying rural locale codes. Applicants should confirm final requirements in the official notice before submission.
Current published award information indicates $110,000,000 total FY 2025 appropriation Always verify allowable costs, matching requirements, and funding caps directly in the sponsor documentation.
The current target date is April 15, 2026. Build your timeline backwards from this date to cover registrations, approvals, attachments, and final submission checks.
Federal grant success rates typically range from 10-30%, varying by agency and program. Build a strong proposal with clear objectives, measurable outcomes, and a well-justified budget to improve your chances.
Requirements vary by sponsor, but typically include a project narrative, budget justification, organizational capability statement, and key personnel CVs. Check the official notice for the complete list of required attachments.
Yes — AI tools like Granted can help research funders, draft proposal sections, and check compliance. However, always review and customize AI-generated content to reflect your organization's unique strengths and the specific requirements of the solicitation.
Review timelines vary by funder. Federal agencies typically take 3-6 months from submission to award notification. Foundation grants may be faster, often 1-3 months. Check the program's timeline in the official solicitation for specific dates.
Many federal programs offer multi-year funding or allow competitive renewals. Check the official solicitation for continuation and renewal policies. Non-competing continuation applications are common for multi-year awards.
Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Education & Human Resources (IUSE: EHR) Program is sponsored by National Science Foundation (NSF). This program promotes novel, creative, and transformative approaches to generating and using new knowledge about STEM teaching and learning to improve STEM education for undergraduate students. It supports projects that bring recent advances in STEM knowledge into undergraduate education, adapt, improve, and incorporate evidence-based practices, and lay the groundwork for institutional improvement in STEM education. Professional development for instructors to ensure adoption of new and effective pedagogical techniques is a potential topic of interest.
The National Leadership Grants for Libraries Program (NLG-L) supports projects that address critical needs of the library and archives fields and have the potential to advance practice and strengthen library and archival services for the American public. Successful proposals will generate results such as new models, tools, research findings, services, practices, and/or alliances that can be widely used, adapted, scaled, or replicated to extend and leverage the benefits of federal investment. Applications to IMLS should both advance knowledge and understanding and ensure that the federal investment made generates benefits to society. Specifically, the goals for this program are to generate projects of far-reaching impact that: • Build the workforce and institutional capacity for managing the national information infrastructure and serving the information and education needs of the public. • Build the capacity of libraries and archives to lead and contribute to efforts that improve community well-being and strengthen civic engagement. • Improve the ability of libraries and archives to provide broad access to and use of information and collections with emphasis on collaboration to avoid duplication and maximize reach. • Strengthen the ability of libraries to provide services to affected communities in the event of an emergency or disaster. • Strengthen the ability of libraries, archives, and museums to work collaboratively for the benefit of the communities they serve. Throughout its work, IMLS places importance on diversity, equity, and inclusion. This may be reflected in an IMLS-funded project in a wide range of ways, including efforts to serve individuals of diverse geographic, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals with disabilities; individuals with limited functional literacy or information skills; individuals having difficulty using a library or museum; and underserved urban and rural communities, including children from families with incomes below the poverty line. Application Process: The application process for the NLG-L program has two phases; applicants must begin by applying for Phase I. For Phase I, all applicants must submit Preliminary Proposals by the September 20th deadline listed for this Notice of Funding Opportunity. For Phase II, only selected applicants will be invited to submit Full Proposals, and only those Invited Full Proposals will be considered for funding. Invited Full Proposals will be due March 20, 2024. Funding Opportunity Number: NLG-LIBRARIES-FY24. Assistance Listing: 45.312. Funding Instrument: G. Category: AR,HU. Award Amount: $50K – $1M per award.
The California Department of Education (CDE) Early Education Division is making approximately .7 million available to expand California State Preschool Program (CSPP) services statewide, appropriated under the 2021 Budget Act. Eligible applicants are local educational agencies (LEAs), including school districts, county offices of education, community college districts, and direct-funded charter schools—both current CSPP contractors and new applicants. Funding supports full-day/full-year or part-day/part-year preschool services for income-eligible children beginning in FY 2024–25. Awards are allocated by county based on Local Planning Council priority areas and application scores, with redistribution provisions if county allocations are underutilized.