U.S. Department of Education Announces $63 Million to Expand … – US Department of Education

U.S. Department of Education
Today, the U.S. Department of Education (Department) announced $63 million in new five-year Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) grants to support 42 local educational agencies, non-profits, or other public or private organizations and institutions of higher education working to expand existing community schools or establish new programs in eight new states and territories, including Alabama, Alaska, Louisiana, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Puerto Rico.
Meeting the needs of the whole child is essential to help America’s students grow academically and improve their well-being. That’s why the Biden-Harris Administration is committed to supporting the adoption of community school models across the country, which provide comprehensive, integrated supports to our nation’s students, their families, and their communities. Community schools meet the unique needs of the neighborhoods they serve by leveraging local non-profit, private sector, and agency partnerships to bring services into school buildings. This includes services such as high-quality tutoring, health, mental health and nutrition services, and high-quality early learning programs, among others, for students and the community.
“Community Schools are an essential component of accelerating our students’ learning and supporting their social, emotional, and mental health, and deepening community partnerships. At the height of the pandemic, community schools connected students and families with vital nutrition assistance, mental, physical, and other health services, and expanded learning opportunities. This work continues today because we know that students learn best when there is a comprehensive and holistic approach to meeting their needs,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “I am thrilled that through the historic investment we’re announcing now, the Department is funding the largest cohort of grantees in the history of this grant program. This represents a huge step toward the Biden-Harris Administration’s goal of doubling the number of Full-Service Community Schools across the country and raising the bar for our support of children.”
This year’s grant competition received the largest number of applications in the history of the program, demonstrating the enormous need to have a continuum of coordinated support to address students’ academic, social, emotional and mental health needs.  The new grantees are committed to implementing the four pillars of community schools: 1) integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning through partnerships with social and health service agencies and providers; 2) expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; 3) active family and community engagement; and 4) collaborative leadership and practices.
Community schools provide a range of services to meet the unique needs of the students, families, and broader communities they serve. Studies have found that well-implemented community schools—with integrated student supports, active family and community engagement, expanded and enriched learning time, and collaborative leadership practices—can lead to improved student and school outcomes, particularly for students in high-poverty schools.
The White House today also released a new toolkit that outlines how federal grant funding from other government agencies, such as the Departments of Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation can be used to support the implementation of the community school model.
Today’s announcement comes while Secretary Cardona is at Turner Elementary School in Washington D.C., one of two District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) where FSCS funding will ensure a strong pipeline of services, and further demonstrate the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to providing a high-quality education for all students. DCPS is one of the 42 local educational agencies, non-profits, or other public or private entities and institutions of higher education to receive this funding.
The Department conducted robust outreach to expand interest, and almost half of grantees in this cohort are first-time grantees. Notably, this cohort includes the first set of grantees in the history of the program that have expressed a commitment to scaling the community school model across the grantee’s state. With this award, the Department has awarded FSCS grants in 20 states and territories.
The Full-Service Community Schools awardees are listed below:
 
State 
Year 1 Award 
Grant Type 
Dillingham City School District 
AK 
$498,323 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
The Association of Alaska School Boards 
AK 
$2,861,933 
Multi-District Grant 
Mobile Area Education Foundation 
AL 
$2,683,027 
Multi-District Grant 
El Rancho Unified School District 
CA 
$493,286 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Lindsay Unified School District 
CA 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Proyecto Pastoral 
CA 
$493,460 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
United Way California Capital Region 
CA 
$498,603 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
United Way of Western Connecticut 
CT 
$436,949 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
The District of Columbia Public Schools 
DC 
$492,623 
Capacity Building and
Development Grant 
Communities In Schools of Georgia, Inc. 
GA 
$3,000,000 
Multi-District Grant 
Board of Education of the City of Chicago 
IL 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Cook County School District 104 
IL 
$1,413,134 
Multi-District Grant 
Frida Kahlo Community Organization 
IL 
$2,792,835 
Multi-District Grant 
Lewis University 
IL 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Puerto Rican Arts Alliance 
IL 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Elkhart Community Schools 
IN 
$1,903,403 
Multi-District Grant 
Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation 
IN 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Marian University 
IN 
$357,040 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Partners for Rural Impact, Inc. 
KY 
$3,000,000 
Multi-District Grant 
Partners for Rural Impact, Inc. 
KY 
$3,000,000 
Multi-District Grant 
Partners for Rural Impact, Inc. 
KY 
$10,000,000 
State Scaling Grant 
The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence 
KY 
$9,605,136 
State Scaling Grant 
Wilderness Education Project 
KY 
$3,000,000 
Multi-District Grant 
The Orchard Foundation 
LA 
$498,562 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Lowell Public Schools 
MA 
$499,175 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
University of Maryland, Baltimore 
MD 
$385,507 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Paterson Board of Education 
NJ 
$499,959 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
County of Bernalillo 
NM 
$491,700 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Las Cruces Public School District 2 
NM 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Taos Municipal Schools 
NM 
$499,963 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Batavia City School District 
NY 
$488,761 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Belleville Henderson Central School District 
NY 
$139,331 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Booker T. Washington Community Center of Auburn, N.Y., INC. 
NY 
$399,593 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Sodus Central School District 
NY 
$2,618,374 
Multi-District Grant 
Growing Together Inc. 
OK 
$412,735 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Stilwell Public Schools 
OK 
$441,161 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Communities In Schools of Eastern Pennsylvania Inc 
PA 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Communities in Schools Pittsburgh-Allegheny County 
PA 
$1,273,989 
Multi-District Grant 
Boys & Girls Club of Puerto Rico 
PR 
$1,320,401 
State Scaling Grant 
Seeding Success 
TN 
$2,796,802 
Multi-District Grant 
Austin Independent School District 
TX 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Transformation Waco 
TX 
$500,000 
Capacity Building and Development Grant 
Total 
 
63,795,765 
 
For the full list of grantees and abstracts, please visit the Full-Service Community Schools’ webpage.
Our mission is to promote student achievement and preparation for global competitiveness by fostering educational excellence and ensuring equal access.

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