Official Seal of the California Department of Education

Application

California Serves Grant Program

Professional Learning Support Division

The California Department of Education (CDE) invites eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to apply for a California Serves Grant to be used for purpose of promoting access to effective service learning with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement (SSCE) through service learning. This grant will be used for planning time, professional development (PD), purchase of instructional materials, participation costs, and/or personnel costs that support expanded, high-quality service learning.

The Assembly Bill 181, Section 71, Budget Act of 2022, authorized the California Serves Grant Program, which provides funding for a grant period through June 30, 2027. The timeline is subject to change. Refer to the CDE California Serves Grant Program web page for the most up-to-date timeline. Funds available to each applicant are based on the content and quality of the submitted application and proposed activities.

For detailed information, please refer to the Request for Applications (RFA), available from the California Serves RFA web page.

Eligibility

Applicant eligibility is limited to LEAs, defined as a school district, county office of education, or direct funded charter school, within the State of California that serves students in grade twelve. Additionally, per Education Code (EC) Section 51475(d), at least 55 percent of the pupils enrolled in the applicant LEA shall be unduplicated pupils as defined in EC Section 2574 or 42238.02, as applicable.

Community agencies, private schools, individual public school sites, state special schools, and LEAs that previously received a California Serves grant and are still participating in a grant cycle are not eligible to apply for the California Serves Grant Program. Applicants who have not received prior funding may be considered before applicants that have received funds in the past.

Grant Award Amount and Duration

This application covers the grant period beginning May 1, 2025 and ending June 30, 2027. The total grant budget for this RFA, as appropriated in Assembly Bill 181, Section 71 of the General Fund, is up to $5 million annually. Each award amount for the California Serves Grant shall be no more than $500,000.

The CDE will fund successful grant applications at the level requested if the program application is well-justified, the proposed activities are realistic and well-supported, and sufficient funding exists. If successful applications exceed the funds available, the CDE will apportion the grant funds at its discretion.

Before completing this application, please review the California Serves Grant Program RFA. Please pay close attention to the Evaluation Rubric, as well as the Online Application Instructions, to ensure your responses align with the evaluation criteria.