Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants Program

The Charter School Facilities Incentive Grants Program provides vital funding for charter schools to cover costs related to rent, mortgage, and facility expenses. Established under federal law, this program aims to support the growth and renovation of educational facilities. With a recent $30 million grant awarded, the California School Finance Authority plans to initiate three additional funding rounds starting in the 2025-26 school year, ensuring continued support for charter school development.

Purpose
The State Charter School Incentive Grant Program funds are applied toward a charter school’s annual costs of rent, lease, mortgage, debt service, or Proposition 39 pro-rata payments for facilities, or towards the costs of purchase, design, construction, and/or renovation of a new or existing facility.
Description
In 2004, 2009, and 2014, the United States Department of Education approved grant awards to the Authority pursuant to the State Charter School Incentive Grant Program (Program), authorized under Title V, Part B, Subpart 1 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The California School Finance Authority was recently awarded a $30 million grant award in Fall 2024. Per the Authority’s application to the Department of Education, the Authority is proposing three more funding rounds of the Program starting for the 2025-26 school year.