Federal Charter School Grants - Wisconsin Charter Schools Program

Wisconsin awarded $58M charter school grant - FY23 UPDATE

The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction announced it was awarded $58 million from the U.S. Department of Education to support the Wisconsin Charter School Program.The five-year federal grant will help the WCSP implement a statewide strategy that strengthens public charter school authorizing, supports the development of high-quality charter schools and the replication and expansion of successful high-quality charter schools, and promotes statewide collaboration and sharing of best practices. The funding is Wisconsin’s seventh federal grant aimed at supporting public charter school development.  WCSP sub-grants are paid to sub-grantee charter governing boards on a reimbursement basis for allowable costs.

In addition to helping support up to 42 new, expanded, and replicated public charter schools, the grant allows up to 40 existing public charter schools to complete activities funded by the state’s previous WCSP grant. During the 2022-23 school year, Wisconsin had 239 public charter schools enrolling nearly 50,000 students.

Additional information on the program and on upcoming subgrant competitions will be posted below as DPI receives approval from USDE. Interested applicants will have a deadline of mid-February to submit an application, with subgrant award announcements tentatively scheduled for June 2024. Questions related to the WCSP can be directed to CharterSchools@dpi.wi.gov. A link to official release can be found here. 

The Objectives of the Wisconsin Charter Schools Program are to:

• Support the growth of high-quality charter schools in Wisconsin, especially those focused on improving academic outcomes for educationally disadvantaged secondary students
• Strengthen and improve authorizing quality and promote the adoption of best practices for all authorizers in Wisconsin
• Promote and support collaboration and sharing of best practices between high-quality charter schools and other schools in the state, especially those that experience difficulty in adequately serving educationally disadvantaged students

Grant Information Workshops

• Come learn about the upcoming charter schools grant competition including available funds, grant priorities, application requirements, and more. DPI staff will be available to answer technical questions during this time but cannot assist with actual grant writing.

• 2023-24 Workshop Dates 

  • December 11, 2023 - 8am

  • December 20, 2023 - Noon

  • January 16, 2024 - 3pm

• Registration is Free. Click here to register for a session.

Subgrant Application Materials and Information

Subgrants are available for eligible applicants to:

• Open and prepare for the operation of new charter schools;
• Open and prepare for the operation of replicated high-quality charter schools; and
• Expand high-quality charter schools

2021-22 Application Materials: Deadline Wednesday, February 16, 2022, All materials must be received by 4:30pm. Send all application materials to: charterschools@dpi.wi.gov.
 

• Charter School Grant Application Instruction
• Charter School Grant Application Form PI-9600
• Charter School Grant Appendices
  • Appendix A: Grant Narrative (No Form or Worksheet Required)
  • Appendix B: Letters of Support (No Form or Worksheet Required)
  • Appendix C: Evidence of Charter School Approval (No Form or Worksheet Required)
  • Appendix D: Performance Measures 
  • Appendix E: 5-Year Budget Summary PI-9600-bs 
  • Appendix F: Expense and Revenue Worksheet
  • *Appendix G: Evidence of High Quality (No Form or Worksheet Required)
  • *Appendix H: Authorizer Report (Additional Authorizer Report Information)
  • *Appendix I: Governing Board Minutes (No Form or Worksheet Required)

*Replication and Expansion Grant Applicants Only

Related Application Materials:

• Charter School Grant Technical Review Document
• Charter School Grant Reviewer Benchmarks
• Charter School Subgrant Application Rating Guide
• Charter School Contract Benchmarks
• Technical Assistance Requirements
• Assurance of School Readiness

Become a Peer Reviewer

If you are interested in becoming a peer reviewer, complete the Peer Reviewer Interest Survey.
View more information about the peer review process.

Wisconsin Charter Schools Program Grant Updates Distribution List

Click to be added to our distribution list to receive grant information updates.

Resources

• The Wisconsin Resource Center for Charter Schools (WRCCS) is a statewide technical assistance center that serves the state by hosting and providing a wide-array of resources related to authorizing, operating, governing, and improving charter schools as well as disseminating ideas and best practices to all schools in Wisconsin.
• Wisconsin Charter Schools Program Allowable Cost Guide
• 5-Year Budget Summary PI-9600-bs
• 2014 Title V, Part B Non-Regulatory Guidance
• Information on the Federal Charter Schools Grants to State Entities Program
• Information on other Federal Charter Schools Program Grants
• Sections 4301-4311 of the ESEA, as amended by ESSA (Federal Charter Schools Program Regulations)
• Wisconsin Charter Law (Wis. Stats. 118.40)

Monitoring Materials:

• 2022-23 Monitoring Guide
• Monitoring Protocol