Innovative Approaches to Literacy; Promise Neighborhoods; Full-Service Community Schools; and Congressionally Directed Spending for Elementary and Secondary Education Community Projects

The Innovative Approaches to Literacy (IAL) program (ALN 84.215G) supports a wide range of projects that develop the literacy skills of children and adolescents in communities of concentrated poverty. The program may award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to local educational agencies in which at least 20 percent of the students are from low-income backgrounds, the Bureau of Indian Education, or eligible national non-profit organizations. Awards typically are for up to 5 years, and grantees may use funds to (1) develop or enhance existing school library programs by providing professional learning opportunities to school librarians or updating library materials in underserved schools; (2) support early literacy services, including conducting outreach to parents of young children to ensure that families have access to developmentally appropriate materials and are encouraged to read aloud to their young children; and (3) distribute books and reading materials to children and adolescents to increase students’ reading motivation, performance, and frequency.
The Promise Neighborhoods (PN) program (ALN 84.215.N) provides competitive grants to support communities in increasing educational opportunities and improving academic and developmental outcomes for children, youth, and their families from birth through college. The program makes awards for up to 5 years that enable grantees to provide a continuum of services and supports designed to address the needs of children and youth within neighborhoods with high rates of poverty, childhood obesity, academic challenges, and involvement of community members in the justice system. Eligible organizations for Promise Neighborhoods grants are institutions of higher education (IHEs), Indian tribes or tribal organizations, or one or more non-profit organizations in partnership with a high-need local educational agency, IHE, local government, or an Indian tribe or tribal organization.
The Full-Service Community Schools program (FSCS) (ALN 84.215J) provides grants for up to 5 years to (1) local educational agencies (LEAs) or (2) the Bureau of Indian Education, in partnership with community-based organizations, nonprofit organizations, or other public or private entities. Grantees make available comprehensive social, health, and academic services for students, students’ family members, and community members in school settings by integrating existing school and community programs and implementing coordinated strategies that can support communities experiencing the effects of concentrated poverty on students and families.
Congressionally Directed Spending for Elementary and Secondary Education Community Projects, also known as Congressionally Funded Community Projects (CFCP), may be authorized in the Explanatory Statement accompanying appropriations legislation, including specific dollar amounts for the authorized projects.

OMB Circular No. A-21; OMB Circular No. A-122