Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program, Cohort 21, Competitive Grant

The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program provides opportunities for New Jersey communities to enhance academic enrichment and support for students in grades three through twelve. This competitive grant program encourages organizations to offer a variety of services, including tutoring, youth development, and family engagement initiatives. Eligible entities include non-profits, schools, and local government agencies, aiming to address the needs of students in low-performing schools.

Purpose:
It is the intent of the Nita M. Lowrey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Program to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities in community learning centers that:
increase academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging State academic standardsoffer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities, service learning, nutrition and health education, drug and violence prevention programs, counseling programs, arts, music, physical fitness and wellness programs, technology education programs, financial literacy programs, environmental literacy programs, mathematics, science, career and technical programs, internship or apprenticeship programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; andoffer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children’s education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.
The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) has established a five-year grant program. This competitive grant program is open to open to all New Jersey non-profit organizations, local education agencies (LEAs), which include charter schools, educational service commissions, jointure commissions, and special services school districts; nonpublic schools; community-based organizations; city or county government agencies; faith-based organizations; institutions of higher education; for-profit agencies; Indian tribes or tribal organizations; or consortiums of two or more such agencies, organizations, or entities. However, eligibility is limited to those entities that will serve students in grades three through 12 who primarily attend schools implementing comprehensive or targeted support and improvement activities under section ESSA 1111(d) or other schools determined by the LEA to be in need of intervention and support. Please refer to the Notice of Grant Opportunity (NGO) for further guidance.