ESSA Grant Application
Summer is not vacation time in the federal world. Federal staff are busy planning and writing grants to receive funds for the upcoming school year. At CSS, we have been working with our clients to help them understand the changes in the grant application. The ESSA Grant Application is the TEA required application for LEAs and charters who have opted to participate in ESSA programs such as Title I, Title II, Title III, and Title IV.
Due Date
The ESSA application is open for all charters and districts. The application will close September 2, 2022.
Preliminary Planning Steps (To Do Before Starting the Application):
We have worked with our CSS clients to be certain all preliminary steps are completed, including the following:
- Completed program evaluations (Title I, Title II, and Title III, Title IV, PFE, SCE) for 2021-22.
- Comprehensive Needs Assessment based on 2021-22 data and a draft of the 2022-23 Campus Improvement Plan(s) should be complete.
- Complete a draft of the 2022-23 District Improvement Plan per ESSA Title I requirements.
- Collect documentation of the preliminary planning activities including sign-in sheets, agendas, minutes and working papers for 2022-23 ESSA application.
Steps to Complete the ESSA Grant application:
- Only Chrome can be used with the ESSA Grant Application.
- Log into TEAL; select eGrants. On the landing page, locate the HOME icon and then look to the right for the “Grants” tab. Hover over “grants” and select “Apply for Eligible Grants.” Select the link for the 2022-23 ESSA Grant Application. When you get to the link for the 2022-23 Application Designation and Certification form,
- Select the Applicant Designation and Certification (ADC) form.
The ADC form no longer includes the planning amounts for the eligible Title grants. Allocations can be found at ESSA Entitlements. It is not necessary to apply for each grant that has an allocation. Be thoughtful about the grants selected. Once the ADC form is submitted, TEA will not permit changes to the form.
Note: Title IV, Part A – SSAEP will have an allocation if your charter participated in Title I during the previous school year. At CSS, we continue to assist our clients with understanding the options available and accompanying guidelines for the Title IV grant.
If the Title III allocation is less than $10,000, the charter must join a Title III SSA if wishing to utilize the funds. Most Region Service Centers serve as the fiscal agent for a Title III SSA. Be sure to notify the Fiscal Agent if you plan to participate in the SSA. Submit the ADC when complete.
The full application will open up once the ADC form is submitted.
- Once the application opens, select the GS 2100, the General Information form. Complete the required information and save.
- NOTE: In the new ESSA grant application, you may complete the next schedules in any order you prefer.
- Complete each of the schedules required for the grants selected by the charter. When you open each schedule, notice the buttons near the top of the page:
The Back button allows you to move from one schedule to another; Printable Version allows you to save or print pages in the application; Save allows you to save your work. You will be logged off if there is no activity for 20 minutes. Instructions takes you to specific instructions for that portion of the application.
Detailed instructions for each of the schedules (forms) of the grant application has been provided in the ESSA Grant Application Webinar June 7, 2022. You can access the TEA slides and recording here.
- Reminder: Application closes September 2, 2022 at 5:00 PM
Note: If you have expended all of your 2021-22 funds and you plan to fund staff positions with federal funds, your 2021-22 ESSA grant application should be submitted before staff returns to work. Pre-award costs are not allowable under ESSA grants funds.
Need More Info?
The complete application details have been shared in our ESSA Consolidated Grant Application Online Course. Click here to register!