Cohort X

Cohort X Grant Application is Open!

The Cohort X Request for Application for the Nita M. Lowey 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant is now open. Applications are due Monday, April 10, 2023 by 11:59 pm.

The Nita M. Lowey 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) competitive grant program is authorized under Title IV, Part B, of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. The purpose of this important program is to establish or expand community learning centers that:

1. Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students (particularly students in high-poverty areas and those who attend low-performing schools) meet state and local student performance standards in core academic subjects such as reading, writing, and mathematics;
2. Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
3. Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.

CDE will award approximately $5.5 million in 21^st CCLC funding for Cohort X. Grants awards will range from $50,000 to $180,000 per year per center. It is anticipated that approximately 30-40 centers will be awarded through this competitive funding opportunity.

Cohort X Grant Application

Applicants may use the reference document linked below to plan their application submissions, but applications must be submitted using the online platform, SurveyMonkey Apply, to be considered for funding.

Access the 21^st CCLC Cohort X RFA – Reference Document (Word) 

Access the 21^st CCLC Cohort X RFA – Excel Workbook Template (for LEAs) Updated 4/5/23

Access the 21^st CCLC Cohort X RFA – Excel Workbook Template (for non-LEAs)

Access the 21^st CCLC Cohort X Online Application (SurveyMonkey Apply)

Thinking of Applying?

Eligibility

Eligible entities may apply for the Colorado 21^st CCLC Grant to establish or expand community learning centers that primarily serve high-poverty, low-performing schools. The term “eligible entity” means:

• a local educational agency (LEA, or a public school district);
• a Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES);
• the Charter School Institute;
• community-based organization;
• Indian tribe or tribal organization;
• another public or private entity; and
• a consortium of two or more such agencies, organizations, or entities.

Funding Priority

For Cohort X, funding priority will be given to 21st CCLC programs serving students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools. Entities receiving priority in this funding opportunity are those that propose to serve high-poverty, low-performing schools, as evidenced by:

• Schools with a K-12th grade Free and Reduced Lunch rate of 40 percent and above in 2022-23; and
• Schools Identified for Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CS) or Targeted Support and Improvement (TS) in 2022-23.

See the list of Priority Schools for Cohort X.

Please note, schools that do not appear on the priority list may still be included in submitted applications. All schools in the application must be on the Priority Schools List to receive points in this Priority Area. There will also be additional Priority Areas for funding, and priority points are available to support priority areas.

Other Priority Areas for Cohort X are:

• Schools with a K-12^th grade Free and Reduced Lunch rate of 75 percent or higher;
• Rural school districts;
• High schools serving grades 9-12 with dropout rates higher than the state average or graduation/completion rates lower than the state average; or K-12 schools with chronic absenteeism rates higher than the state average;
• Fifth-day programs for school districts and schools who have a four-day school week; and
• Programs prioritizing highly mobile youth* or other disadvantaged, marginalized, and/or historically underserved youth in their proposed 21st CCLC program(s).

Applicants may be eligible to receive points for one or more of the Priority Areas based on information provided in their submitted application as well as data available and verified by CDE. See definitions and more information related to the Priority Areas Appendix G for a Glossary of Terms in the RFA.

Readiness Assessment

To help potential applicants evaluate their capacity to apply for Cohort X, CDE has created the Readiness Assessment Tool.

All applicants are encouraged to complete this tool prior to applying for 21st CCLC grant funds. However, this self-assessment is to be used by potential applicants internally and will not be submitted to CDE as part of the application submission or process. CDE will not use this completed tool as part of the review process in consideration of awarding funds to applicants.

Available Technical Assistance

In addition to the resources listed on the 21st CCLC webpages, CDE will be offering weekly office hours as well as regional grant-writing trainings during the time when the application is open.

Weekly Office Hours

CDE will be hosting weekly office hours for 30 minutes each week for potential applicants ask the 21^st CCLC team any program/fiscal questions about the Cohort X Request for Application.

The weekly office hours will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesdays from 9:00 am-9:30 am on the following dates:

Just In Time Consulting with Annette Sloan

21st CCLC grant applicants can sign up for up to four 15-minute slots each week in order to receive support and guidance on their grant proposals. Slots can be consecutive. Just-in-time consulting is specifically for grant-writing support, including feedback on your narrative. Sign up for a session here  from the time slots below:

• Monday, March 27, 12-3pm
• Wednesday, March 29, 9:30am-12:30pm
• Monday, April 3, 12-3pm
• Wednesday, April 5, 9:30am-12:30pm

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

CDE will regularly update and post the Cohort X FAQs in response to questions received during the Weekly Office Hours.

Regional Grant-Writing Trainings

CDE hosted several trainings across the state for potential applicants to learn how to write competitive applications for this grant. The 2023 21^st CCLC Request for Application was used as a framework for the training, thereby providing participants with the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the grant program and application as they gain skills and confidence in their ability to write a high-quality proposal submission.

All the training materials we covered during the virtual training are within the Google Drive button below for your future reference.

Google Drive

Stakeholder Engagement

CDE recently conducted a feedback survey and several focus groups to inform improvements to the Cohort X Request for Application (RFA) and grant competition. Results from the stakeholder engagement efforts will be posted here when they are available.