Official Seal of the California Department of Education

Application

California Serves Grant Program

Professional Learning Support Division

Overview

The California Department of Education (CDE) invites eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to apply for a California Serves Grant to be used for the 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 may 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, 2028. 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.

Before completing this application, please review the California Serves Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA), available from the California Serves RFA web page. Please pay close attention to the Evaluation Rubric, as well as the Online Application Instructions, to ensure your responses align with the evaluation criteria.

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.

Individuals, community agencies, private schools, nonprofit organizations, 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. Applicants who have not received prior funding may be considered before applicants that have received funds in the past. An LEA may only submit one application per application cycle.

Grant Award Amount and Duration

This application covers the grant period beginning May 1, 2026 and ending June 30, 2028. 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. Eligible LEAs that receive grants pursuant to this program shall receive an amount of up to $500,000.00.

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.