Our commitment to student achievement includes helping administrators and educators understand, identify, and quickly navigate federal education funding. If you’re researching how to optimize federal funding in your school community, this overview of the different types of government funding for K-12 education can help.
The federal government provides funding to schools through its primary agency, the U.S. Department of Education.
The main sources of federal education funding programs for states and school communities and the principal purpose of each program are:
Federal funding comes from two kinds of grants, and different rules govern how the funds may be spent:
The one-time ESSER funds are key to helping your K–12 school community with in-person, distance, or hybrid learning and building sustainable plans to accelerate learning. Over $190 billion in ESSER funds have been awarded to states and districts through the three relief packages.
$122.8B* awarded
Provides additional emergency relief funding to States and school districts to safely reopen schools, address learning loss through the implementations of evidence-based interventions and activities for students’ academic, social and emotional needs, purchase education technology and offer summer learning, extended day/year programs and afterschool programs. Click here to view state dispersements.
$54.3B* awarded
Provides additional emergency relief funding to states and school districts to address and measure learning loss, purchase education technology, offer summer and after-school programs, and safely re-open schools. Click here to view state dispersements.
$13.23B* awarded
Provides emergency relief funding opportunities for immediate needs, such as tools and resources for distance education that address low-income students’ unique needs, students with disabilities, ELs, and other high-need students. Click here to view state dispersements.
*These numbers are approximate
There are various allowable uses for the ESSER funds: ESSER I, ESSER II, ESSER III. We are highlighting the most common uses by districts and schools.
Personnel
Safety
Supplies
Hunger
Distance Learning
Connectivity
Family Services
Mental Health
Professional Development
Summer School + After School
Software Purchases
Devices
School Facilities
Air Quality
Learning Loss
Each emergency relief package created a separate fund or program to meet the most critical needs of PreK-12 students and teachers in eligible non-public schools. Over $8 billion has been directed to the USED’s Education Stabilization Fund (ESF) for eligible non-public schools through equitable services and/or assistance from State Governors and/or the respective State Education Agency (SEA).
$2.75B* awarded
The ARP EANS II grant program’s purpose is to extend the services and assistance provided to eligible non-public elementary and secondary schools to address the impact that COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on non-public school students and teachers. This is a highly competitive grant program.
$4.05B* total awarded
$1.3B (GEER II)
$2.75B (EANS I)
Under CRRSA, $4.05 billion was allocated GEER II. From those funds, $2.75 billion was allocated specifically for non-public schools through the EANS I grant program. The remaining $1.3 billion of funds are to be used to supplement the GEER II funds awarded to each State and at the governor’s discretion.
The EANS I grant program’s purpose is to provide services or assistance to eligible non-public schools to address the impact that the COVID-19 has had, and continues to have, on eligible non-public school students and teachers in the State.
$2.95B* awarded
Non-public schools are eligible to receive funds under both the ESSER I and GEER I as LEAs are required to provide equitable services to students and teachers in non-public schools. An LEA must determine the proportional share available to provide equitable services to non-public school students and teachers in accordance with Title I under ESEA. For more information on equitable services, click here.
Federal funding and its processes can be complex, as there are more than 30 federal grant programs for education. Primarily, the federal government provides funding to all states on an annual basis through formula grants. Here are some of the most common funds used to support Edgenuity core and supplemental solutions and professional development offerings.
For more information on annual federal formula grants, click here.
Program | Program Snapshot | Annual Funds* |
---|---|---|
Title I: Part A | Economically Disadvantaged | $16B |
Title II: Part A | Professional Development | $2B |
Title III: Part A | English Language Learners | $737M |
Title IV: Part A | Student Support and Academic Achievement | $1.1B |
IDEA | Special Education and Students with Disabilities | $13.4B |
Perkins/CTE | Career and Technical Education | $1.26B |
*Rounded. Source: Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 – click here.
Title I: Economically Disadvantaged
Title II: Professional Development for Educators
Title III: English Language Learners
Title IV: Student Support and Academic Achievement
IDEA: Special Education & Students with Disabilities
Perkins V: Career and Technical Education
*These numbers are approximate
All Edgenuity solutions meet the ESSA evidence standards and can be used for your implementations of evidence-based interventions, activities, and programs.