Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

U.S. Department of Education Announces New Grant Program

  • By Matt Jones
  • 09/10/21

The U.S. Department of Education announced this week that it is establishing a new grant program to provide funding to school districts that have been penalized for implementing safety measures against COVID-19. It will be available to districts that have had funds withheld by the state, or that have been otherwise financially penalized, for establishing policies to prevent the virus’ spread that align with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance, such as mask mandates.

The new grant program is called Project SAFE (Supporting America’s Families and Educators) and will draw its funding from within the Department of Education, namely Title IV, Part F, School Safety National Activities, of the Every Student Succeeds Act, according to a news release. Districts can apply for Project SAFE grants to compensate for funding withheld by state leaders, such as salary cuts for school board members or superintendents. The goal is to provide schools with adequate resources to establish strategies to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“Every student across the country deserves the opportunity to return to school in-person safely this fall, and every family should be confident that their school is implementing polices that keep their children safe,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona. “We should be thanking districts for using proven strategies that will keep schools open and safe, not punishing them. We stand with the dedicated educators doing the right thing to protect their school communities, and this program will allow them to continue that critical work of keeping students safe.”

The news release states that, in the coming weeks, the Department of Education plans to send out a Notice Inviting Applications for eligible schools to apply for the Project SAFE grant. The news release says that the department “plans to make grant awards as expeditiously as possible and on an ongoing basis. The Department will make grant awards directly to local education agencies.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • KWK Architects Announces Full Transition to Lawrence Group Branding

    KWK Architects recently announced that it will complete its transition to the Lawrence Group brand effective July 1, according to a news release. The merger marks the end of a three-year strategic integration process that began in March 2023 to unite the firms.

  • University of Kansas Breaks Ground on Entrepreneurship Hub

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the new KU Entrepreneurship Hub, according to university news. The Hub is part of the university’s School of Business and will include spaces for experiential learning and programming.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Arlington High School

    Arlington High School

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. Arlington High School has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.