Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers
Request for Applications
Important! Do not use your browser’s back, forward, or refresh buttons. You will lose your progress on your application. Only use the navigation below and the “continue” buttons at the bottom of each page to navigate the application form. Your information will not be saved if you leave this page.
Ready to submit your application?
Please review your application to ensure you have filled out the entire form.
The button to submit your application is available at the bottom of this page.
Application Information
Director of Agency:
Grant Contact/Project Director:
Data Collection and Evaluation Contact:
Fiscal Contact (your school or organization's Chief Financial Officer/Business Manager):
Are you a past grantee?
On April 4, 2022, the U.S. Department of Education will join other Federal agencies and transition to utilizing new Unique Entity Identifiers (UEIs) for grant recipient and applicant organizations, rather than the previously utilized DUNS numbers. The UEI is administered through SAM.gov (System for Award Management).
Entities that do not have a registered DUNS in SAM.gov should ensure that they are registered well before the switch takes place. We recommend that organizations initiate the process with SAM.gov no later than March 1, 2022, as it may take some time for registration to be completed.
For detailed information about this change, please refer to the Fact Sheet found here: UEI Transition Fact Sheet.
Only past grantees are required to fill out this section.
Please respond to the following questions.
ESSA 4203(14) describes how the State educational agency will evaluate the effectiveness of programs and activities carried out under this part. ESSA 4204.2 (E) a description of how the activities will meet the measures of effectiveness described in section 4205(b); ESSA 4205(1) IN GENERAL.—For a program or activity developed pursuant to this part to meet the measures of effectiveness, monitored by the State educational agency as described in section 4203(a)(14).
Section 4204.4(J) of the ESEA authorizes SEAs to renew sub-grants awarded to eligible entities under ESSA, “based on the eligible entity’s performance during the preceding subgrant period.” Based on the plain meaning of the language of this provision, SEAs have discretion to renew sub-grants that they award to eligible entities under ESSA, provided that the eligible entity’s performance under the preceding subgrant was satisfactory. Under section 312 of the Department of Education Appropriations Act, 2016, the provisions of ESSA apply to 21stCCLC program sub-grants awarded during the 2017-18 school year and later years. Therefore, SEAs may renew 21stCCLC program sub-grants awarded on or after July 1, 2017. Under the orderly transition authority of ESSA, ED authorizes SEAs to renew sub-grants awarded under the ESEA, as amended by NCLB prior to July 1, 2017. Limitation: Renew current sub-grants one time for one to five years, consistent with the terms of the original subgrant’s performance period. Example: If a grant has an original performance period of 5 years, that grant may be renewed up to an additional 5 years, not to exceed a total of 10 years.
These questions provide data on the effectiveness of an existing program. Monitored as required by ESSA and the Iowa Grant Agreement Performance Monitoring section.
Forms
Legal Status of Applicant*
Please download the "Legal Status of Applicant" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Collaborative Signatures *
Please download the "Collaborative Signatures" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Request for Competitive Priority*
It is the responsibility of the applicant to request and provide documentation of competitive priority in scoring of applications. In the downloadable form, please check the boxes for priority you are requesting and provide explanation of the documentation provided to substantiate your request. Examples of documentation are provided.
Please download the "Request for Competitive Priority" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Minority Impact Statement*
Please download the "Minority Impact Statement" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below. Please complete as is required by Iowa code.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Private School Consultation Meeting Log*
Please download the "Private School Consultation Meeting Log" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below. This is required by federal statute.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Sustainability Planning Template and MOU Template*
Sustainability Plan*
Please download the "Sustainability Plan Form" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below.
All new grant applications must have a plan (this may be updated from your previous application).
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Past Grantee Sustainability Form
Existing 21st Century Community Learning Center programs are required to document efforts of sustainability according to federal law. This template serves as an opportunity for existing 21st Century Community Learning Centers grantees to document what partners have committed to support through financial contributions, in-kind donations, volunteer time, and other goods and services. This document should provide evidence of a good-faith effort to sustain a portion of the grant. A lack of evidence of sustainability will be considered supplanting and will not be funded.
Supported formats: Word or PDF. Only submit if you're a past grantee.
Community Partner Official Notice
Districts that are eligible for a community partner to apply in a high need urban area (with two high schools) MUST provide the Iowa Department of Education with official notice of who that partner will be and a description of the partnership and how it will benefit at-risk children in the community.
Failure to provide this official notice will result in ONLY the district application being accepted for grant review. The Community Partner application will not be read but will have the option of re-applying the following year.
Required for community-based organizations only.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
Assurances & Agreements Required of All Applicants*
Please download the "Assurances & Agreements" document, fill out the form, and upload the complete form using the button below.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
MOU Template*
Please download the "MOU Template" document, fill out the form, and upload each completed form using the button below. Please upload at least 5 and up to 10 MOUs. If you have more than 10 MOUs, please cite the total number of MOUs in your narrative.
Supported formats: Word or PDF
2025 Site Profile
Target Schools*
School-Wide Information
# of Youth to be Served
Grades Served by School
Total Enrollment
Free and Reduced Lunch Rate
Grades Served by Program
Before School
After School
School Name
(can apply for up to 3 sites)
Summer
TOTAL
Before School (BS) Site Operations*
Please mark each field NA if it does not apply to your site.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Start Time
End Time
Hours
After School (AS) Site Operations*
Please mark each field NA if it does not apply to your site.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Start Time
End Time
Hours
Summer (SUM) Site Operations*
Please mark each field NA if it does not apply to your site.
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Start Time
End Time
Hours
Family Engagement*
All 21CCLC programs are required to host a minimum of four family-centered events each year. A general rule of thumb is one per quarter. Examples of events include back-to-school celebrations, literacy nights, family game nights, recreational events, guest speakers, and so on.
Total Number of Family Events*
School Name
Estimated Total Number of Adult Family Members Served:*
Financials
Funding Estimator
The Funding Estimator is provided as an Excel document and is designed to be a tool to determine the amount of funding needed to implement a successful program. The funding estimator does not need to be uploaded. It is just a resource. This tool is designed to assist you in determining an appropriate budget request. Your partner contributions should be documented and deducted from your accounting for an accurate estimation of request.
Form D1: 21CCLC Application Funding Request Summary
21CCLC TOTAL FUNDING REQUEST*
(Before and/or After School and Summer Program Funds)
FUNDING FOR EACH SITE INCLUDED IN THIS APPLICATION*
Make sure you that your funding request matches in all parts of your application. Include community partner, in-kind, and contributions.
NOTE: A program site may serve students from many schools. For example, a location that serves students from three (3) different schools would be considered one Program Site.
Name of Program Site(s)
Year 1 Funding Request
Year 2 Funding Request
Year 3 Funding Request
Total Funding Request
(3-year total)
Number of Students Served per site per year
Name of Program Site(s)
Year 1 Funding Request
Year 2 Funding Request
Year 3 Funding Request
Total Funding Request
(3-year total)
Number of Students Served per site per year
Form D2
Optional form for each site you will operate under your 21CCLC grant.
Form D3
No longer required for the application.
Form D4: Applicant Agency’s Fiscal Resource Information
It is recommended that each applicant, including school districts, public entities, or government agencies, possess sufficient fiscal resources in order to start up and operate the program being requested for a period of up to three months. Please indicate if you are a public entity or a private/non-profit by checking the appropriate box below and then use the text box at the bottom of the page to answer the questions regarding fiscal resources for start-up costs and operational costs.
In the textbox below, please describe your funding sources that can be used to start up and operate the program for up to three months. For example, public entities should include their budget line item number, account numbers, or any other applicable references. Private organizations should describe cash, lines of credit, emergency loans, etc. Fiscal resource information should be specific (e.g., bank or lender names; name of the holder of the account).
* Note: If you do not have the financial resources available equal to the amount of funding you are requesting, you do not have the financial capacity for this project. Agencies that do not have adequate fiscal resources on hand are eligible to participate in the application process. However, the applicant must describe in this section the agency’s plan to secure the necessary fiscal resources for this program application.
* Note: Agencies must validate their resources before any award can be made.
Summer School
School Year
Basic Service Components
School or Site/Building Name:
School or Site/Building Name:
School or Site/Building Name:
If location for the program is different from the school where children attend, list both below:
Proposal Narrative
We STRONGLY encourage you to save the narrative sections of this application in a Word Document since you cannot save your grant progress and come back to it later. Character limits are noted for each section (4,000 characters is the equivalent to one page of text in Arial size 12 font).
Abstract (Not scored)
The abstract should include summaries of each of the narrative sections and provide documentation of competitive priority status, if being requested.
The number of students served:
The total amount requested per year:
The total amount per student :
Character limit: 8,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Student Needs Assessment (20 possible points)
This section describes in detail the needs assessment, objective data, and resources available as well as a description of how these conclusions were reached. This section should include:
-
Strong evidence utilizing objective data that very clearly defines the student need for a before and/or after school program (may include weekends, holiday and summer).
-
An evaluation of school and community resources available (including other accessible before and after school programming), and convincingly documents how proposed program will address student needs (including needs of students with working families).
-
Evidence of how stakeholders (youth, parents, and partners) were identified and the results of those discussions that led to your decision to apply for funds and program development. Example: survey, focus groups, interviews.
-
A description of the impact you are going to make with the youth to be served.
-
Title program data.
-
Achievement gap information.
-
Total student population and the number you plan to serve from each school/site.
-
A summary of transportation, safety, and accessibility components.
NOTE: The 21CCLC program puts forth sound measures of effectiveness to guide local grantees. All programs must indicate how each program activity satisfies the Measures of Effectiveness described in the law. For a program or activity to be compliant with this component of the law, monitored by the SEA as described in section 4203(a)(14), such program or activity shall –
-
Be based upon an assessment of objective data regarding the need for before and after school (or summer recess) programs and activities in the schools and communities;
-
Be based upon an established set of performance measures aimed at ensuring the availability of high-quality academic enrichment opportunities;
-
If appropriate, be based upon evidence-based research that the program or activity will help students meet the challenging State academic standards and any local academic standards;
-
Ensure that measures of student success align with the regular academic program of the school and the academic needs of participating students and include performance indicators and measures;
-
And collect the data necessary for the measures of student success described in (D).
Character limit: 12,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Project (24 possible points)
This section describes in detail the program that is proposed to meet the needs reported in the previous section. This section should include:
-
Your organization’s expertise in providing out-of-school time programming. Your organization’s ability to impact academics, enrichment, and overall youth development practices for the larger benefit of youth enrolled in your program.
-
The proposed academic, enrichment, and family literacy/enrichment activities with links to your Student Needs Assessment, how they fit with the 14 eligible federal activities and what curricula you plan to use. Please note that the 21CCLC grant has a strong emphasis on literacy and math; these should be specifically addressed. Family literacy events should positively impact the students’ families/students themselves and should align with the needs assessment. Partner with local colleges to provide classes for parents and college students to supplement program staff.
-
The days and hours of operation. Note that programs which plan to serve youth in summer are expected to have a minimum of 30 days of service.
-
Your plan to provide a snack (minimum) or full meal (preferred) for youth daily that meets USDA nutrition guidelines.
-
Detail reasonable goals and objectives.
-
Align with school day instruction through relationships with school day staff and/or state or national standards.
Character limit: 16,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Research Base (5 possible points)
This section describes in detail the research performed to support the program. This section should include:
-
A description of the research including citations from multiple sources justifying your program design. Local evaluation data should be used when possible. If this data is not available, an explanation is required.
Character limit: 4,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Management and Sustainability Plan (20 points)
This section describes in detail how your program will be managed and the steps you are taking to ensure sustainability for programming after the grant funds are complete. This section should include:
-
The plan to ensure effective staffing including a description of how you plan to recruit and retain high-quality staff, your leadership development plan, how staff will ensure alignment with school day instruction, and how the program will use volunteers including senior-aged volunteers to support youth.
-
The plan to provide or ensure safe and inclusive transportation, building or site security, and accessibility. Note that rural sites will be given leeway by peer reviewers regarding transportation services. It is also allowable to have parents pick up their children from programming.
-
The development and engagement of a stakeholder group that meets regularly to provide input and support to program leadership.
-
A continuous improvement plan.
-
Sustainability planning that includes a description of how your site will engage with community partners and how resources will be leveraged to support the program. Note: Applicants are required to upload a minimum of five Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) documents providing proof of engagement with partners.
-
If you are a previous grant recipient, you must also provide a description and evidence of a minimum of five years of sustainability.
Character limit: 16,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Communication Plan (5 possible points)
This section describes in detail how your plan to perform your communication and outreach strategies to meet the needs of your program. This section should include:
-
Your plan to share program information with the larger community including frequency of share and your potential reach. Example: Monthly newsletter to be shared via the website.
-
Your plan to share your Local Evaluation document with the larger community.
-
Your plan to communicate with individual groups, such as parents or stakeholders. Example: Weekly Program Memo to be shared with parents via text message. Quarterly Meeting Agenda and Notes to be posted on the bulletin board and sent via email parents and stakeholders.
Note: Methods should include a website, social media, and online resources such as a program calendar. Please use this downloadable template to complete your communication plan.
Partnerships (10 possible points)
This section describes in detail how your program will access and utilized community partners to support youth and families in your program for maximum impact. This section should include:
-
A description of your partners. Note: Partners can include but are not limited to: businesses, education agencies, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, non-profit groups, for-profit groups, and volunteers. Evidence of these partnerships will be uploaded as MOUs.
-
A description of existing organizational and/or programmatic partnerships and the partners’ roles in programming and/or sustainability. Note: Application must distinguish between a partnership and a contractor. Contractor simply provides services for payment while a partnership provides services without payment or at a reduced cost (e.g. in-kind contributions). Peer reviewers will take into consideration that partners may be unique in rural settings.
-
A description of how you plan to recruit new partners for meaningful contributions over the life of the grant as well as how you plan to maintain your existing partnerships. This should also be addressed in your Sustainability Plan in the previous section.
Character limit: 8,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Evaluation (15 possible points)
This section should describe in detail the plan to collect and analyze data to measure the effectiveness of program goals, activities, and partnerships. This section should include:
-
Your proposed goals and outcomes pertaining to literacy and math for youth.
-
Your proposed goals and outcomes pertaining to additional organizational goals. Example: growth in STEM engagement or goals connected to specific enrichment activities.
-
Evidence that a local evaluator is in place with information about their capacity, expertise.
Note: Best practice is five measurable goals.
Character limit: 8,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Budget Narrative (10 possible points)
This section should describe in detail the plan to utilize funds from the grant to support your program. This section should include:
-
A detailed justification for each line item from Form D2, including how each expenditure is necessary and reasonable and how each expenditure aligns with proposed activities.
-
Application must describe how the program seeks to supplement, rather than supplant, current funding.
-
A description of partner contributions. Add dollar amount and in-kind contributions in budget.
Note: Failure to document sustainability can be considered supplanting. Sustainability must be extensively documented in the budget narrative, showing the partner contributions.
Character limit: 8,000 (including spaces). Please note that some features like tabbing, inserting tables and graphics, and hyperlinks are unavailable.
Supplemental Materials
Applicants are allowed to upload supplemental materials to support your application, Examples of acceptable supplemental materials include: charts, graphs, infographics, pictures, flow charts, and other similar materials. Applicants are asked to scan all documents into a single file and are limited to 2 pages.
(total amount requested divided by total number of students served, not to excieed $1200 per student)
Submit Your Application
Please allow a few moments for your application to successfully upload.
One or more required fields have not been filled out. Please review your submission and locate the missing required field(s).