PACSP Grant

Eligible applicants must have an approved charter school petition from a Pennsylvania authorizer in order to apply for Federal CSP dollars under this program.

Each school will be a nonprofit, brick-and-mortar charter school. Grant applicants must conform to the federal definition of a public charter school in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act [P.L. 114-95, section 4310(2)] to be eligible for grant funds under the CSP.

Yes. PACSP will award three types of subgrants through the grant program. Eligible applicants may apply for:

• Development of a new charter school
• Expansion of an existing high-quality charter school
• Replication of an existing high-quality charter school

Learn more here (Step #2).

PACSP grant funds can be used by eligible applicants for activities related to opening and preparing for the operation of new charter schools or to replicate or expand high-quality charter schools. Allowable costs are organized into three categories:

1. Classroom Level Expenditures – Focus on providing a learning environment appropriate to age-level and the academic model of instruction. Ensures adequate resources are available to meet the needs of all students with specific focus on supplies.
2. Instructional Support – Focus on providing a learning environment supporting all learners at their level of academic mastery. May include staffing resources, supplemental materials, etc.
3. Operations – Focus on implementation of an infrastructure supportive of the academic model. May include equipment, software, and other technology supporting the collection and analysis of data.

Learn more here (Step #3).

Unfortunately, yes. Award amounts may be reduced if subgrantees do not adhere to the terms of their grant. This reduction in award amounts may include situations where:

• Projected enrollment is not met
• Technical assistance requirements are not completed each year
• Funds are not spent in a timely manner
• Required reporting is not completed

Please click here to learn all the details on how best to apply for the PACSP. We also encourage you to review the following:

• PACSP Grant Application FAQs
• Preparing to Apply
• PACSP Grant Technical Assistance
• Posts from our blog

To ensure subgrants are awarded to the most capable applicants, each proposal for a CSP sub grant will be reviewed by an external Peer Review panel. These reviewers will receive training on the effective use of a Peer Review Rubric to rate potential sub grant proposals. Individuals selected as peer reviewers must be well informed regarding education, education policy, evaluation, and operations of public charter schools

Peer Reviewers will independently read, score, and provide timely, written comments supported by the application scoring rubric and relevant laws and regulations to provide award recommendations to the CSP Co-Directors. To ensure a diverse collection of impartial reviewers who are intimately familiar with the Commonwealth’s educational and political landscape and who are well-positioned to assess whether a school will contribute to the advancement of the CSP project’s objectives, the Peer Review panel will consist of five primary members and two alternate members from the following categories:

• A successful charter school founder
• An expert in charter school business management and finance
• A representative from a Pennsylvania institution of higher education
• A member of the PCPCS Legal Advisory Council

Peer Reviewers will be required to self-report any conflicts of interest. Peer Reviewers shall not participate in any way in actions or decisions that directly or indirectly involve their own financial interests or those of their families or business associates. If potential reviewers are directly or indirectly affiliated with a grant applicant through themselves, a family member or business interest, the individual will not be allowed to score applications where the conflict of interest exists, and the application will be assigned for review by an alternate member of the Peer Review panel.

The Peer Reviewers independently read, score, and provide timely, written comments supported by the application scoring rubric and relevant laws and regulations to provide award recommendations. These reviewers will receive training on the effective use of the Peer Review Rubric to rate potential subgrant proposals.

The Peer Review Rubric consists of:

• Application Narrative Rubric
• Project Specific Narrative Rubric
• Competitive Preference Priority Plan Rubric
• Track Record Rubric
• Track Record Rubric – List of Suggested Evidence Documentation