Eligible Applicants
The Spark Opportunity Grant Program is open to established nonprofit K-12 charter schools that are planning a new school facility. Schools must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for a grant:
- Nonprofit K-12 charter schools in operation for at least one school year (i.e. open and serving students in school year 2018-2019). Applicants must be nonprofit schools and if applicable, managed by nonprofit Charter Management Organizations. Charter schools managed by for-profit management companies are not eligible.
- Planning a new school facility, i.e. new construction or substantial renovation of a building for classroom and other educational space. Minor renovations to existing occupied school buildings and additions for recreational and other ancillary space will not be competitive.
- Demonstrated mission and track record of serving low-income students
- School is in good standing with its authorizer. If the project is an expansion or replication that requires a new charter or charter amendment, the school must have applied to its authorizer to serve the students and grades that will be housed in the new facility. Priority will be given to schools that have an approved charter for the expansion.
Examples of applicant profiles:
- established school adding a new campus (i.e. replication)
- established school relocating to a new facility
- new campus for an experienced Charter Management Organization (CMO)
Eligible Uses of Grant Funds
Applicants may apply for funds to support planning and predevelopment activities including:
- Financial capacity and affordability analysis
- Real estate and/or financial consultants
- Market study
- Site search
- Feasibility study
- Architectural planning and design
- Site due diligence (land use analysis, environmental assessment, civil engineering, survey, etc.)
- Zoning and permit applications
- Financial modeling of financing/investment scenarios
Grant Deliverable and Reporting
Each Spark Opportunity grantee will be required to produce a facility plan with project development and financing scenarios resulting from the planning and predevelopment activities supported by the grant. Grantees will also be required to report back on specific outcomes and status of project within the grant term. (Grant terms will be determined on a case-by-case basis based on the proposed activities and outcomes and will not exceed two years.)