The Center provides services, training, and grants to help charter schools in development and existing charter schools achieve and sustain academic and operational excellence.

Overview

The Center's Board approves the broad goals and specific objectives of each type of grant offering from year to year. Some grant offerings may change or may be offered for a limited time, depending on the impact of the grants awarded and the ongoing development of effective practices. Grant proposals for each grant offering are considered throughout the year in accordance with grant application deadlines. The Center has four annual approval and payment cycles. Unsolicited grant proposals outside of the available grant offerings are not considered.

Process

The process of developing and reviewing grant proposals often includes meetings and site visits, and may include requests for proposal revisions or additional information. Occasionally, we seek external verification of our due diligence. The Center's aim is to be respectful of the independence of a grantee, to be supportive at all times, but also to be demanding in the achievement of agreed outcomes. Our goal is also to stimulate, understand and document effective practices. Essential to this mission is understanding the mistakes and obstacles along the way, so we ask grantees to be candid about the difficulties they face, as well as their successes, in their grant progress reports.

Once the Board approves a grant award, a grant contract outlining the grant, objectives, terms and the obligations of the grantee is sent. Upon receipt of the signed contract from the grantee, the Center issues and forwards the first payment. Full payment of a grant is conditional upon satisfactory progress.

Grants Offered

In 2004 and 2005, the Center facilitates technical assistance in charter school design and application development, and awards pre-authorization planning grants and start-up post-authorization grants to developing charters schools and their founding teams. The Center also has awarded grants to existing charter schools and allied organizations supporting charter school excellence in several essential areas including: board resource and fundraising capacity development, academic enhancement and teacher development, effective practice implementation and sharing, leadership development, public information and advocacy, and joint program and facilities improvements to charter and DOE schools sharing buildings.

Current Grant Offerings

Charter School Pre-Authorization Planning Grants

Pre-authorization planning grants provide support to charter school founding leader(s) or planning teams to design, plan, and develop a high quality charter school and to submit a strong charter school application to an authorizer. Founding leader(s) and planning teams developing a charter school in New York City are eligible to apply. Applications for grants up to $35,000 may be submitted up to 24 months, but no later than in advance of the expected date of authorization.

For a full grant description and Pre-Authorization Planning Grant application, click here.

Start-up (Post Authorization) Grants

Start-up Grants provide resources and support to school leaders, founding Boards and key staff to plan and open high quality charter schools after receiving charter authorization from the NY State Board of Regents or SUNY SED. Start-up grants require a 1:1 private match to stimulate funder support and solid business planning for the first year of operations and long term sustainability. Applications for Start-up Grants are accepted after submission of a charter school application to an authorizer. Grants are awarded and funded only after Board of Regents or SUNY authorization.

For a full grant description and Start-up (Post-Authorization) Grant application, click here.

Private Fundraising Initiative

Charter schools provide a unique opportunity to develop public-private partnerships whose purpose, motivation and inspiration is to invest in one of the city's most precious assets-its children. The Center is actively seeking to recruit new supporters for charter schools and to expand our private fundraising capacity. All interested donors should contact James Merriman at jmerriman@nycchartercenter.org for the chance to impact the lives of young people in New York City and help ensure their success in school... and in life!