School Support and Accountability Programs: Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC)

Overview

The purpose of this discretionary grant is to create the 21st CCLC NTAC, which will support State educational agencies (SEAs) and their subgrantees that operate 21st CCLC programs. The 21st CCLC program provides essential out-of-school time learning that helps accelerate academic recovery and support students’ social, emotional, and mental health. While out-of-school time opportunities are always essential, they have been especially critical as students continue to recover from the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic. The 21st CCLC NTAC will help 21st CCLC grantees and subgrantees provide effective out-of school time opportunities that have the biggest possible positive impact in students’ lives. This notice contains one absolute priority and three competitive preference priorities.

Absolute Priority: Building Capacity in 21st CCLC Programs. 
The 21st CCLC NTAC must provide high-quality, universal and targeted capacity-building services to SEAs and 21st CCLC subgrantees to address common implementation challenges facing SEAs and 21st CCLC subgrantees and emerging trends in out-of-school time settings. The initial set of proposed activities must focus on 

(a) students’ academic and mental health needs and alignment with the traditional school day (e.g., literacy, math, overall wellbeing); 

(b) academic recovery (e.g., acceleration, high-dosage tutoring); 

(c) STEM activities; 

(d) providing 21st CCLC programming in rural areas; 

(e) improving attendance and student engagement of middle and high school students; 

(f) re-engagement of disengaged youth; 

(g) implementation and evaluation of 21st CCLC programs; 

(h) supporting multilingual learners; 

(i) financial literacy; 

(j) supporting discretionary grants funded with 21st CCLC funds, including the Department’s four current 21st CCLC Out-of-School Time Career Pathways grants; and 

(k) any other priority areas mutually identified by the grantee and the Department through annual service plans.

Competitive Preference Priorities: We award up to an additional 15 points total to an application, depending on how well the application meets these priorities. An applicant must clearly indicate in the abstract section of its application which competitive preference priority or priorities it addresses. 

Competitive Preference Priority 1: 
Addressing the Impact of COVID–19 on Students, Educators, and Faculty (up to 5 points). Projects that are designed to address the impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic, including impacts that extend beyond the duration of the pandemic itself, on the students most impacted by the pandemic, with a focus on underserved students and the educators who serve them, both priority areas: 

(a) Providing resources and supports to meet the basic, fundamental, health and safety needs of students and educators. 

(b) Addressing students’ social, emotional, mental health, and academic needs through approaches that are inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status. 

Competitive Preference Priority 2: Promoting Equity in Student Access to Educational Resources and Opportunities (up to 5 points).— Projects that are designed to promote educational equity and adequacy in student access to educational resources and opportunities for underserved students: 

(a) In out-of-school-time settings; and 

(b) That examine the sources of inequity and inadequacy and implement responses, by increasing student racial or socioeconomic diversity through developing evidence related to, or providing technical assistance on, evidence-based policies or strategies designed to increase inclusivity with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status. 

Competitive Preference Priority 3: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs (up to 5 points). Projects that are designed to improve students’ social, emotional, academic, and career development, with a focus on underserved students, through both of the following priority areas: 

(a) Providing multi-tiered systems of supports that address learning barriers both in and out of the classroom, that enable healthy development and respond to students’ needs and which may include evidence-based trauma informed practices and professional development for educators on avoiding deficit-based approaches. 

(b) Preparing educators to implement project-based or experiential learning opportunities for students to strengthen their metacognitive skills, self-direction, self-efficacy, competency, or motivation, including through instruction that: Connects to students’ prior knowledge and experience; provides rich, engaging, complex, and motivating tasks; and offers opportunities for collaborative learning.

• Type of Award: Cooperative Agreement. 
• Estimated Available Funds: $4,600,000 in FY 2023 and $4,100,000 in each subsequent fiscal year. Maximum Award: We will not make an award exceeding $4,600,000 for a single 12-month budget period.
• Estimated Number of Awards: 1. 
• Project Period: Up to 60 months.

Deadline for Notice of Intent to Apply: May 1, 2023. 
Notice of Intent to Apply: Therefore, we strongly encourage each potential applicant to notify us of their intent to submit an application. To do so, please email the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT with the subject line “Intent to Apply,” and include the applicant's name and a contact person’s name and email address. Applicants that do not submit a notice of intent to apply may still apply for funding; applicants that do submit a notice of intent to apply are not bound to apply or bound by the information provided. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications: May 30, 2023. 

Pre-Application Webinar Information: The Department will hold a preapplication meeting via webinar for prospective applicants. Once scheduled, the date and time for the webinar will be posted here.