21st CCLC Frequently Asked Questions

Schools, school districts, and non-district organizations are encouraged to apply. Eligible applicants must propose to serve students who attend a school site that is eligible for designation as a Title I school-wide program.

To determine if your site is eligible to apply for 21st CCLC funds, please check the current year's Low Income Report. 

Non-district applicants may include: Non-Profit, For-Profit, Community-Based, and Faith-Based Organizations, in addition to Colleges or Universities, Municipalities or other non-school entities. 

School-community partnership is a requirement of the grant. A partnership with a local school district is required for a non-district applicant to be eligible. Local Education Agency (LEA) applicants must, likewise, demonstrate partnerships with community-based organizations.

There is no limit on the number of times a school or organization can apply for 21st CCLC funding. For instance, if a school or organization is awarded for one complete grant cycle (5 years), they may apply again even during their current funding cycle as long as it is to serve different sites. A school or organization may also apply to serve the same site(s) again, but only at the end of their last year or any time after that. Additionally, current grantees may apply for funds to serve students from different school sites.

Competitive priority points are state-specific priorities where additional points may be awarded to a grantee.

Yes. The USDE guidance specifies, “States must give competitive priority to applications that both propose to serve students who attend schools identified for improvement (pursuant to Section 1116 of Title I) and that are submitted jointly between at least one LEA receiving funds under Title I, Part A and at least one public or private community organization.” Therefore, Oklahoma schools that have been designated as Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI) sites, Additional Targeted Support  and Improvement (ATSI) sites, or Targeted Support and Improvment (TSI) sites will be awarded competitive priority points in an effort to support school improvement.  For that reason, priority points will also be given to those schools who received an overall designation of 'F' for 2023.

In awarding competitive priority points, it is the OSDE’s intent that partnerships with an LEA designated as a priority school are developed in the spirit of supporting the students and families of the low-performing school. Three key requirements will be considered when awarding competitive priority points in a joint application. Is there evidence that:

• A strong MOU is in place between the districts. This must include the signatue of the Superintendent and School Board members. This MOU should cover the 5-year grant period.
• An equitable distribution of funds based on student enrollment and need has been developed.  
• Services at the two sites are designed, developed, implemented and evaluated in a collaborative nature. Although we understand that each site will have their own specific needs based on their student population, this will be one grant application serving two sites.

In general, section 8538 of the ESEA requires affected local educational agencies (LEAs) (see Question 3 in the Tribal Consultation Guide for definition of “affected LEA”) to consult with American Indian tribes, or those tribal organizations approved by the tribes located in the area served by the LEA, prior to submitting a plan or application for covered programs.

This requirement is designed “to ensure timely and meaningful consultation on issues affecting American Indian and Alaska Native students.” The consultation must be done “in a manner and in such time that provides the opportunity for such appropriate officials from American Indian tribes or tribal organizations to meaningfully and substantively contribute” to plans under covered programs.

Read the Tribal Consultation Guide for more answers and help reaching out to and working with Native American tribes in Oklahoma before beginning your grant writing process.

Visit the OSDE Indian Education page for more information about working with Native American tribes and tribal organizations.

USDE (F-16) Federal 21st CCLC Guidance states that in designing a program that meets requirements, grantees must provide comparable opportunities for the participation of both public- and private-school students in the area served by the grant. Grantees must consult with private school officials during the design and development of the 21st CCLC program on issues such as how the children’s needs will be identified and what services will be offered. Services and benefits provided to private school students must be secular, neutral, and non-ideological.

Page 26 of Oklahoma 21st CCLC Guidance states that all students are eligible to participate in 21st CCLC programs on an equitable basis, including private school students and their families within the community. Grantees must document consultation with private school officials during the design and development of the 21st CCLC program on issues such as how the children’s needs will be identified and what services will be offered to private school students.

Many applicants have wonderful programs planned, but do not feel confident in writing a competitive grant application. Grant writers may be hired; however, grant writing is NOT an allowable expense for reimbursement with these funds.

Uniform Grant Guidance at 2 CFR § 200.460 states -

"Proposal costs are the costs of preparing bids, proposals, or applications on potential Federal and non-Federal awards or projects, including the development of data necessary to support the non-Federal entities bids or proposals. Proposal costs of the current accounting period of both successful and unsuccessful bids and proposals normally should be treated as indirect (F&A) costs and allocated currently to all activities of the non-federal entity. No proposal costs of past accounting periods will be allocable to the current period."

If a school or organization is awarded, additional payments to a grant writer cannot be paid from the 21st CCLC indirect funds due to the guidance that states "no proposal costs of past accounting periods will be allocable to the current period." General funds or current indirect funds from other federal awards may be used for the preparation of a 21st CCLC application, based on local policies and the guidelines of other federal awards.

All applicant programs MUST be included in the planning of the proposal and will be expected to carry out all areas of the proposed program plan. We highly encourage grant writers, Advisory Committees, and school/organizational administration and staff to work closely together to develop a program that is within reasonable reach of the school or organization to bring to fruition. 

Your grant application is the basis for which we conduct monitoring and evaluation. If you are awarded, it is based on what is contained in the application. Make certain you are aware and have thoroughly reviewed all sections of the grant before submitting - you will be held to the terms of the original application for the duration of your grant. This includes having the district financial officer approve the proposed budget, ensuring that it is in compliance with OCAS coding requirements, and that all proposed expenditures are reasonable, necessary, and allocable. Disconnection or lack of communication with a grant writer will not constitute grounds for alteration of the application or responsibility for its execution.

Every grant application submitted must be an original application. Applications that appear to the OSDE to be substantially similar or duplicates of other applications submitted, as well as those which do not appear to be uniquely developed for the applicant, may be disqualified. The awarded organization will be held responsible for execution of the program plan and performance goals as stated in the application.

Only the authorized representative of your organization, the individual assuming legal responsibility for upholding the parameters of the grant proposal, will be given the credentials.

If your community-based organization is a current grantee and you are applying to serve a new population of students, you do not need to apply for new Grants Management System log-in credentials. You can simply go to the GMS/Access Select page, scroll to the bottom, and there you will see the option to create a new application for 21st CCLC Competitive.

If your community-based organization has applied in the past and/or has been previously funded but is not currently receiving funding, you will need to apply for new GMS login credentials.

The 21st CCLC program has an extensive evaluation system. Self-assessments are required each year of the grant. Program staff are required to attend annual training on the assessment tool and planning with data. An external assessment will be conducted in years three and four. Programs will be required to pay an assigned assessor a minimal fee to cover time and travel. Additionally, each site is required to purchase assessment materials annually. It is recommended that approximately $800 per school site served per year be budgeted to cover the evaluation requirements of this grant. Program evaluation outside of this system is not a grant requirement.

While final staffing plans should be made through consultation with your Advisory Committee and based off data from the needs assessment, it is important to know that a 21st Century Community Learning Center is a major program to administer and manage, as outlined in the Oklahoma 21st CCLC Grant Guidance. Extra duty and multiple leaders tend to be challenging for programs and often reduce impact and quality of the program, while also adding stress to school personnel resources.

Additionally, the Guidance notes the amount of time for training that leaders must be away for during the school day and school year periods. This often conflicts with schedules of principals and other lead teachers who are trying to double up and have other daytime duties to tend to. It is important to fully review the 21st CCLC Oklahoma Grant Guidance, as it outlines reasons that a .5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) or 1 FTE Director (depending on annual amount is needed to adequately supervise this grant program.

Superintendents cannot serve in any of these roles, nor can they be paid with 21st CCLC funds.

Applicants are limited to serve students who attend no more than two sites in a multi-site application, and each site from which students attend must meet the eligibility requirements. For purposes of this grant a site will be defined using the school site listing as posted on the Oklahoma State Department of Education School Site Total List at State Student Public Enrollment. However, beginning with the 2022-2023 grant competition, applicants may apply to serve the entire district if the district wide enrollment is less than 300 students.

No. Prospective applicants are required to identify one or two school sites from which students will attend the program and serve only those students. This requirement is designed in order to ensure that there is no duplication of services and that there is an equitable distribution of funds among geographic areas within the state. Additionally, this greatly improves the process of collecting, following, and analyzing data throughout the duration of the grant.

School districts access the grant application through the Single Sign On (SSO) on the State Department of Education website. All superintendents have full access of the SSO and must assign a user role for anyone else in the district to have access. Non-district applicants will receive an email with the link for accessing the grant application once they have received their credentials.  For step-by-step instructions to create an application, please view the Grant Process Flow Chart.

No, the system is set to remove the submit button at the date and time the grant is due. Although you may still go into the system, you will no longer have the ability to submit your application. Please plan accordingly and make sure you allow enough time for the system to complete the required consistency checks and make any necessary corrections. Again, the submit button will be removed and you will no longer be able to submit after the due date and time.

Per federal regulations, we cannot accept any documentation for the application via email or through any means other than the application itself. You can do a search for your organization's Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number at sam.gov. Once you enter your organization's information and find the UEI number, you can save, or "print" a PDF that has the needed information, number, and expiration date. Save this to your computer and upload it to your application. 

If your organization does not have a UEI number yet, you can learn more about it and how to obtain one at https://www.grants.gov.

While you are in your application, the print tab is located on the far right side of the page. You will need to click on the tab to request a print job. Every hour the system will generate a PDF document of your application. When you return to this page after an hour the print job will be available for you to select. Printing will not submit, change, or delete your application. Printing will NOT include your attachments. It is a good idea to keep track of what you attach on your own.

When printing, please be mindful of confidential information and dispose of grant paperwork appropriately.

The application in the Grants Management System (GMS) is formatted utilizing a system of tabs. There will be one set of tabs across the top; each tab may or may not have another set level of tabs that will open below it. Some of the second level tabs will also open a third row of tabs below them. Be sure to click through all the tabs available to orient yourself to the application and to make sure you did not skip any important information or pages.

We do NOT recommend that you copy and paste from a word processing document. The system does not always read the formatting you have added in a word processing document. If you must copy and paste something, we recommend that you ONLY do so from a plain-text editor such as Notepad.

Make sure your file is between 3 and 5 MB (megabytes) in size and does NOT contain any special characters in the file name (# @ % & *).

The GMS will timeout approximately every half hour if you are not working in the system. Remember to save your work often! Every time you enter something substantial, it is a good idea to save your page and continue working.

The Grants Management System is a web-based system. At times, moving too quickly or clicking on an option multiple times may cause you to be logged off and you will receive an error message. After clicking on a radio button to select an option, give your computer a moment to register what you just did before clicking any other buttons to continue.

Double-clicking may log you out of GMS. All buttons in the GMS need only ONE click. Sometimes the system moves slower than at other times; please be patient and allow time for it to register your selection.

Peer review is a process of scoring applications by other professionals who have experience and expertise in a given area. Each grant application is reviewed by a minimum of three peer reviewers.

Reviewing grants is a rewarding experience!  By lending your expertise to the process, you will help shape 21^st CCLC programming in Oklahoma.  Furthermore, serving as a grant reviewer will help you learn more about student services and the grant writing process.

Reviewers must have training and/or experience in education, afterschool programming, child, youth, and/or community development and reflect a balance of backgrounds, experiences, and geographic locations.  If you currently receive or have previously received 21^st CCLC grant funds, but are not applying, you may apply to serve as a reviewer. We encourage teachers, administrators, professors, graduate students, and parents to apply.

Individuals who are affiliated with an agency that is submitting an application proposal as a response to the 21^st CCLC RFP cannot serve as reviewers.  Furthermore, individuals who have a real or apparent conflict may not serve as reviewers.

Once selected, all reviewers must participate in a reviewer’s training via a webinar.  Once the training is completed, reviewers are assigned proposals for review.  Reviewers will use an online application review system for completing the documentation review and entering comments and scores. This system can be accessed from any computer at any time using the user name and password provided by the OSDE.

All reviewers must participate in a training webinar (approximately one hour).  Each proposal takes approximately 4 to 5 hours to review, score and comment.  Based on past funding cycles, we estimate that each reviewer will be assigned approximately 5 applications for review.

The typical timeline for the grant review process is:

• Participate in a pre-recorded webinar to assist you in navigating the online Grants Management System (GMS) and provide an overview of resources to assist you in the review process. 
• Reviewers are assigned their grant applications for review.
• Scores and comments will be due in the system approximately 3 to 4 weeks from the date grants are assigned.

If you are interested in applying to serve as a peer reviewer, click here to access the Peer Reviewer Application.

Peer reviewers will score grants using the rubric that appears in a pop-up window. As you prepare to enter the GMS, be sure to turn off your browser's pop-up blockers.

If you do not already know how to do this, please click on the internet browser below for detailed instructions on how to turn your pop-up blockers off.

• Google
• Google Chrome
• Internet Explorer
• Firefox
• Safari and Firefox on a Mac

If you still cannot find the pop-up rubric window, please call our office for assistance before proceeding.

Most often, if you cannot see the comments on a returned budget or claim, it is because your computer is set to block pop-up windows. For instructions on how to turn off your pop-up blocker, click on the browser you are using below: 

• Google
• Google Chrome
• Internet Explorer
• Firefox
• Safari and Firefox on a Mac

The GMS allows you to upload between 3 and 5 MB (megabytes) in a single upload. You can upload multiple files in this size range.

If you are having trouble uploading more than just a couple of pages at a time:

• Check the size of your files. You may be scanning them at too high of a resolution. Make sure the scanner resolution on your machine is not set to photo quality. Although we appreciate crystal clear uploads, they are not necessary. 
• File names that have extra characters in them such as: # % * &  will not upload properly.

If you cannot get around uploading a multitude of files for your claim, be sure to name them appropriately.

It is best to name your files in corresponding order of your detailed expenditure report. Your file names should then correspond with either the PO or, in the case of multiple transactions on one PO, you can name your files according to the line description on the budget detail page.

Documentation requirements depend on the method of reimbursement you are providing.

Per Diem:
We recommend reimbursing through a per diem. Documentation for reimbursement of a per diem is simply a copy of your organization or district's travel claim. The travel claim must include the name of the traveler and the time, date, and location of travel, in addition to the traveler's signature and organization approval must be included. Federal per diem rates can be found at Perdiem website.

School Credit Card:
A school credit card can be used to pay for group travel. On a school credit card you may pay for everyone who attends a training or conference who is part of the 21st CCLC program on one meal receipt.  The receipt MUST be itemized so we can see which menu items were purchased. No alcoholic beverages will be allowed. Shared taxis rental cars and parking costs can be placed on the school credit card.  

Credit card statements are NOT an acceptable form of documentation and each vendor must be itemized on your detailed expenditure report.

For example:
Credit Card Service/Joe's Cafe

1. Credit Card Service/Mama's Greasy Spoon
2. Credit Card Service/Cool Coffee Shop
3. Credit Card Service/Quick Taxi Service
4. Credit Card Service/Premium Parking

Individual Reimbursement Method:
We do not recommend this type of reimbursement, simply because of the detailed records that must be kept by the traveler.   Each individual must pay for ONLY his/herself.   All meal receipts MUST be itemized.  No alcoholic beverages will be allowed.  Individuals may share a taxi, rental car, or parking, but only the person who pays for it can claim reimbursement.

Additionally, the organization or district’s travel claim form MUST be submitted for reimbursement with travel and meal totals, dates, approvals and signatures.

Food may be purchased for instructional purposes, such as cooking classes, science experiments, art projects, etc. All food purchases for this purpose must be accompanied with a lesson plan showing how the food items were used and which Oklahoma Academic Standards are reinforced with the activity. For more clarification, review this memo from USDE.

Food for staff trainings, parent nights, and snacks or meals for students are not an allowable expense. Many programs, however, use parent nights as an opportunity to engage community partners such as a nearby locally owned restaurant, church, community organization, or PTA to provide food for parent nights. Snacks and meals for students may be paid for through the Federal Child Nutrition Program.

Budgets and claims are one way our office audits and monitors programs. If you are having a difficult time getting a budget or claim approved, please consider the following items:

1. Are you reading the comments and making the required adjustments?
2. Are you coding expenditures following OCAS definitions?
3. Are you uploading the proper documentation?
4. Are your expenditures afterschool-specific? These funds support out-of-school time activities only. Materials and activities in for this program should be different from those used in the regular school day. When in doubt, check the Oklahoma 21st CCLC Guidance or the Federal Guidance.

The 21st CCLC Facebook page is ONLY viewable and accessible for current 21st CCLC grantees. It is open to all staff and administrators involved in the current 21st CCLC programs. This is a portal to sharing information, resources, ideas, and fun photos. If you would like to get signed up for it, the process is as follows:

1. Call 405-522-6225 or email Sonia Johnson with your:
   • Name (first & last)
   • The name of your 21st CCLC program 
   • Your position in the program
   • The email address you use to log into your Facebook page (for most people this will be a personal email address).
2. Once Sonia has replied to you, check your personal email inbox (if you don't see it, be sure to check your junk mail)
   • Click the button to accept your invitation to the group
3. You will then show up in the group as requesting to be approved.
   • We will click to approve you as a member of the group.
4. Start sharing all the awesome stuff you're doing in your program!

A Facebook account is necessary to participate in the 21st CCLC closed group. If you don't want to set up a Facebook account, perhaps another staff member of your 21st CCLC program already has a Facebook account and they could be your Facebook person to participate in the group and share all the great resources with everyone in your program!

ESSA defines an external organization as a nonprofit organization with a record of success in running or working with before and afterschool (or summer recess) programs and activities; or in the case of a community where there is no such organization, a nonprofit organization in the community that enters into a written agreement or partnership with an organization with a record of success to receive mentoring and guidance in running or working with before and afterschool (or summer recess) programs and activities. The OSDE includes governmental organizations with this definition of external organizations.

An organization meets the minimum criteria for having a record of success when it submits a completed External Organization Profile prior to the deadline and meets the following requirements:

1. Operates as a nonprofit, governmental, or other tax exempt entity in good standing in Oklahoma; and
2. Provides evidence of having a minimum of five years of experience operating or delivering services to out-of-school time (OST) programs in Oklahoma. (OST refers to academic enrichment programs offered to students in grades K-12 before school, after school, or during the summer when regular school is not in session.)
3. The External Organization Profile must be completed in its entirety. Applications that clearly meet all criteria will be included on a list of prescreened organizations published on the OSDE’s website.

IMPORTANT: Submitting a Profile or being listed as a prescreened organization will not result in funding from OSDE. The completion of the application will not result in a contract with OSDE. Inclusion of an organization on the list is not an endorsement of the organization, nor is it a certification or guarantee of the quality of service provided by the organization. This solicitation has no bearing on any contracts or funding with the OSDE or other state agencies. Listed organizations are not prohibited from entering contractual agreements with 21st CCLC or other federally-funded grantees or contractors.

Applicants are required to submit one or more of the following documents demonstrating the organization is a nonprofit in good standing operating in the state of Oklahoma:

• A copy of a letter from the Internal Revenue Service recognizing that contributions to the organization are tax deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code;
• A statement from a state taxing body or the state attorney general certifying that the organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the state and that no part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private shareholder or individual;
• A certified copy of the applicant’s certificate of incorporation or similar document if it clearly establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant. If the item submitted applies to a state or national parent organization, it must be submitted together with a statement by the parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate. As part of the application process, the applicant will be required to certify that all the information is accurate; or
• A statement of verification that the organization is a governmental agency.

The prospective external organization certifies to the best of their knowledge and belief, that they and their principals and participants:

1. Are not presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded by any Federal, State, or local agency;
2. Have not within a three-year period preceding this proposal been convicted of or pled guilty or had a civil judgment rendered against them for commission of fraud or a criminal offense in connection with obtaining, attempting to obtain, or performing a public (Federal, State, or local) contract; or for violation of Federal or State antitrust statutes or commission of embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification or destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property;
3. Are not presently indicted for or otherwise criminally or civilly charged by a governmental entity (Federal, State, or local) with commission of any of the offenses enumerated in the previous paragraph of this certification; and 
4. Have not within a three-year period preceding this application/profile had one or more public (Federal, State, or local) contracts terminated for cause or default.

In addition to the nonprofit proof of good standing, each applicant will be asked to provide the following:

• A primary and secondary contact for the organization
• A link to the organization’s website
• A mission statement of the organization
• A description of experience and services provided for students and afterschool/summer programs
• Information about the organization's characteristics and service areas
• A description of the organization's evidence of success related to providing services for students
• Documentation of non-profit status or governmental agency
• The organization's most recent financial audit or tax return
• A letter of recommendation from a previous partner in a similar field of service

*All uploaded documents must be combined into one pdf per question respectively and sized 16 MB or less.

While the intention of this list is to provide a preapproved list of external organizations with whom 21st CCLC grantee programs may partner, many of these organizations can also be of benefit to a variety of other schools, community groups, and individuals.

While the Profiles are reviewed by committee, the OSDE reserves the right to not accept an organization’s Profile and may remove an organization from the list when deemed in the best interest of Local Education Agencies (LEA’s).

Unless otherwise specified in the Oklahoma Open Records Act or other applicable law, documents and information an external organization submits as part of or in connection with a response to the External Organization Profile are public records and subject to disclosure. 

Responses to the External Organization Profile are subject to public disclosure in accordance with the Oklahoma Open Records Act. To the extent permitted by such Act, the response will not be disclosed, except for purposes of evaluation, prior to approval by the OSDE. All material submitted becomes the property of the SBE and OSDE. Responses will not be considered confidential after approval by the OSDE except for information in the response marked proprietary and confidential. 

The OSDE reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to request clarifications of technical information or to conduct discussions for the purpose of clarification with any or all external organizations. The purpose of any such discussions shall be to ensure full understanding of the information. If clarifications are made because of such discussion, the external organization(s) shall put such clarifications in writing. The clarification shall not alter or supplement the information submitted by the external organization.