Education Grants
Funding Sources
Grants and Educational Savings Accounts (ESAs) may offer the financial support needed to propel your learner forward.
Ready to get started today? Explore our resources below.

For Schools
provide safe environments for students during non-school hours and may have one or multiple centers/sites which may be located in schools, community facilities, and/or faith-based facilities. All centers must provide a range of high-quality services to support student learning and development, including, but not limited to: tutoring and mentoring, academic enrichment (e.g., homework assistance, reading, math, science, and technology programs), service learning, character education, physical education and recreational activities, and dropout prevention.
Each eligible entity that receives an award from the state may use the funds to carry out a broad array of before- and after-school activities (including those held during summer recess periods) to advance student achievement. These activities include:
- Remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs, including those which provide additional assistance to students to allow the students to improve their academic achievement
- Mathematics and science education activities
- Arts and music education activities
- Entrepreneurial education programs
- Tutoring services, including those provided by senior citizen volunteers, and mentoring programs
- Programs that provide after-school activities for limited English proficient (LEP) students and that emphasize language skills and academic achievement
- Recreational activities
- Telecommunications and technology education programs
- Expanded library service hours
- Programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy
- Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow them to improve their academic achievement
- Drug and violence prevention programs
- Counseling programs
- Character education programs.
Click here for funding status and awards.
Click here to watch Dennis Elementary School’s 21st CCLC Program
- Remedial education activities and academic enrichment learning programs, including those which provide additional assistance to students to allow the students to improve their academic achievement
- Mathematics and science education activities
- Arts and music education activities
- Entrepreneurial education programs
- Tutoring services, including those provided by senior citizen volunteers, and mentoring programs
- Programs that provide after-school activities for limited English proficient (LEP) students and that emphasize language skills and academic achievement
- Recreational activities
- Telecommunications and technology education programs
- Expanded library service hours
- Programs that promote parental involvement and family literacy
- Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow them to improve their academic achievement
- Drug and violence prevention programs
- Counseling programs
- Character education programs.
Click here for funding status and awards.
The Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund is a collection of three allocations of federal funding for K-12 schools created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic:
ESSER I
Established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, with an allocation of $13.2 billion
ESSER II
Expanded by the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSA) Act of 2021, with an allocation of $54.3 billion
ESSER III
Added by the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021, with an allocation of $121.9 billion
The ESSER Fund provided schools with a significant amount of new funding to help with the challenges of reopening schools, mental health, and learning loss. The funds were distributed through a formula similar to Title I education funding, which prioritizes districts with a higher proportion of low-income families.
For more information see US Department of Education
The Jordan Fundamentals Grant Program was established in 1999 to recognize outstanding teaching and instructional creativity in public secondary schools that serve economically disadvantaged students. If you and your students have a special project that requires funding or would like to create a project that helps education reach new heights, fill out the Jordan Fundamentals application and apply for a grant today.
This program is enabled by the Jordan Brand, a division of NIKE, Inc., and administered by COMPASS Consulting, a private non-profit educational consulting firm, helping schools and communities develop more effective and equitable interventions, approaches and systems to improve student results.
Over the years, funded projects have:
- Helped students placed at risk by poverty gain new opportunities to learn
- Supported improvements to the quality of teaching
- Empowered teachers
- Enriched teaching and learning experiences
- Supported active student engagement
- Engendered students with a higher level of motivation to participate in the education
- Linked with local and/or state frameworks and standards for curriculum and instruction
Applicants must be public school teachers or paraprofessionals working with students in grades 1 through 12. Jordan Fundamentals will consider grants in all 50 States and the District of Columbia. At least 50% of the school’s student population must be eligible for the free or reduced school lunch program at the time of application.
Applicants must develop and implement an educational approach that supports improved student academic achievement and/or social/emotional/behavioral interventions. Proposals may attempt to do this through any of the following program objectives:
- Student engagement
- Student teacher relationships
- Building the capacity of teachers.
Student involvement in the proposal design is encouraged.
Grant amounts vary and awardees can apply for future grants averaging $10,000 to support up-scaling the project.
Click here for more information.
For two decades, and with over $6 million in awarded grants, Voya Unsung Heroes has proven to be an A+ program with educators. The program’s “alumni” have inspired success in the classroom and impacted countless numbers of students.
In looking back at the winning projects from the program’s 27-year history, Voya Financial was able to track some popular trends and compelling concepts that have shaped our country’s education system.
Click here for funding status and awards.
In 2023, Casey’s Cash for Classrooms Grant Program awarded $1 million to benefit K-12 public and nonprofit, private schools through 79 grants. The funding priorities included:
- Material needs — Needs for supplies, technology, materials or other items that would enrich the learning environment.
- Teacher support — Programs that seek to grow the skills of teachers, offer professional development or address training resources.
- Community engagement — Efforts to engage students with the community. Examples include external experiences like student volunteerism programs, camps or field trips.
- Physical improvements — Projects that help update and improve the school through repairs, enhancements or new additions. This can include internal (building, classrooms) or external (playground, fields).
Click here for more information.
For Parents
Explore the funding sources map for specific states at Optima Academy Online.
Interested in Learning More?
Let us help you elevate your students
to a whole new level of learning
and achievement
Get In Touch