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

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • Wyoming District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    Laramie County School District #1 in Cheyenne, Wy., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Mountain View Elementary School, according to a news release. The facility has an estimated completion date of summer 2028, and it will have the capacity for 650 students in fifth and sixth grade.

  • UT-San Antonio Begins Residence Hall Renovations

    The University of Texas at San Antonio recently began a $6-million renovation project to one of its residence halls, according to a news release. Originally completed in 1986, Chisolm Hall measures in at 120,860 square feet and is the oldest and largest residence hall on campus.

  • UPenn Announces Completion of New Veterinary Education Facility

    The University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Penn., recently finished construction on an 11,800-square-foot veterinary education building, according to a news release. The Gail P. Riepe Center for Advanced Veterinary Education is the first dedicated classroom facility at the New Bolton Center, a large-animal hospital and campus about 35 miles west of the campus proper.