Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Project to Support America’s Families and Educators (Project SAFE) Grant Program Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.184N | ED GRANTS 092021 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 092021 001

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Project to Support America's Families and Educators (Project SAFE) Grant Program (Assistance Listing Number 84.184N) is a U.S. Department of Education discretionary grant opportunity created to help local educational agencies (LEAs) protect student safety and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. The central idea of the program is to provide financial support to school districts that choose to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools, especially in situations where those districts are then financially penalized by their State educational agency (SEA) or another state entity for adopting those mitigation strategies. In other words, the program is designed as a backstop for LEAs that implement CDC-aligned safety measures and face state-level financial consequences for doing so.

The purpose of Project SAFE is focused on advancing practical, evidence-informed strategies that reduce COVID-19 transmission in K-12 school settings and thereby support healthier learning environments. While the synopsis does not list specific allowable activities in detail, it emphasizes alignment with CDC guidance, which generally points toward measures that limit in-school transmission and help schools sustain safe operations. The overall intent is to improve conditions for students, families, and educators by ensuring that public health protections in schools do not come at a prohibitive financial cost to the local district when state actions reduce funding in response to those protections.

From an administrative standpoint, the Department of Education notes that the funding opportunity description provided is only a brief synopsis and that the legally controlling requirements are contained in the official Federal Register application notice. Applicants are directed to consult that notice for the full set of program rules, including eligibility details, application requirements, submission instructions, performance measures, priorities, and other conditions. The opportunity also references the Department's "Common Instructions for Applicants to Department of Education Discretionary Grant Programs" (published February 13, 2019, 84 FR 3768) as a key source for standardized guidance on how to apply.

Applications for this opportunity became available on September 20, 2021, under Funding Opportunity Number ED GRANTS 092021 001. Instead of using a single fixed deadline, applications were set to be reviewed and approved on a rolling, expedited basis, with awards contingent on the availability of funding. The listing indicates an expectation of about 13 awards. The notice does not specify a maximum award amount in the summary (the award ceiling field is shown as 0), reinforcing the importance of checking the official notice and related materials for funding amounts, limits, and any formulas or constraints used in making awards.

Submission is handled by email rather than through a typical online grants portal in this synopsis. Applicants are instructed to email a completed and signed application, along with required attachments, to ProjectSAFE@ed.gov. The Department also provides an application template through OESE's website at https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/the-project-to-support-americas-families-and-educators-project-safe/. For program questions, the contact listed is Amy Banks at the U.S. Department of Education, with the same email address (ProjectSAFE@ed.gov) and a phone number (202-453-6704). Eligibility is summarized broadly as "Others," with a note indicating that additional eligibility clarification appears in the full official notice, but the program description makes clear that the intended recipients are eligible LEAs affected by state financial penalties related to implementing CDC-consistent COVID-19 prevention strategies.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Project to Support America’s Families and Educators (Project SAFE) Grant Program Assistance Listing Number (ALN) 84.184N" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.184.
• This funding opportunity was created on Sep 20, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Applications Available September 20, 2021. Deadline for Transmittal of Applications Applications will be reviewed and approved on a rolling, expedited basis contingent on the availability of funding. ADDRESSES To submit an application, please email the completed and signed application, along with required attachments, to ProjectSAFE@ed.gov. The application template may be found at the following link https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/the-project-to-support-americas-families-and-educators-project-safe/. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT Amy Banks, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue SW, Room 3E257, Washington, DC 20202-6244. Phone 202-453-6704. Email ProjectSAFE@ed.gov.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 13 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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