Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs and the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program | HE125422R0008

Opportunity Information: Apply for HE125422R0008

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity for independent school districts (local educational agencies) to design and run education programs that address two related priorities: supporting military-connected students through the Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs (MCASP) track, and strengthening K-12 language learning through the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program (WLARP) track. The core idea behind the opportunity is to fund practical, research-backed approaches that help districts respond to the unique challenges faced by military-connected students, especially frequent moves and school transitions, while also encouraging districts to build or expand strong world language programs for elementary and secondary students. DoDEA signals that it is looking for innovative applications, but not experimental in the vague sense; proposals are expected to be grounded in evidence-based practices and clearly designed to meet identified student needs.

A key requirement is that applicants must be explicit about which of the two program areas they are pursuing under this announcement. Funded districts have to submit a written project narrative and a detailed budget table that clearly indicates whether the proposed work is aligned to MCASP or WLARP. In practice, that means the proposal should read like an implementation plan rather than a general description, showing what will be done, who will do it, how progress will be measured, and how funds will be allocated across activities and years. Another non-negotiable element is professional development: every awarded project must include a professional development component, reflecting DoDEA's expectation that improvements should be embedded in staff capacity, not just purchased materials or short-term services.

DoDEA also emphasizes sustainability and replicability. Any LEA receiving an award must use the funding to support programs that can continue beyond the grant period, which typically implies districts should plan for long-term staffing, integration into standard operating budgets, or durable partnerships and systems that do not disappear when grant dollars end. Along the same lines, districts are expected to demonstrate approaches that could be shared with and duplicated by other LEAs. This dissemination expectation pushes applicants to think about documentation, toolkits, training models, data reporting, or other ways to package what they learn so it can travel beyond one district.

On funding size and duration, DoDEA intends to make multiple awards depending on available funds. Individual grants will be no less than $500,000 and may be as large as $2,000,000, with a performance period of up to five years. This multi-year structure is designed to support meaningful implementation rather than one-time pilots, giving districts time to build programs, train staff, refine practices, and track outcomes over several school cycles. The opportunity is administered by the DoD Education Activity, uses the grant instrument type, and falls under the education funding activity category (CFDA 12.556). The opportunity number is HE125422R0008, and the original application closing date listed for this posting was April 8, 2022, with a creation date of January 31, 2022.

• The DoD Education Activity in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Military-Connected Local Educational Agencies for Academic and Support Programs and the World Language Advancement and Readiness Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 12.556.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2022-01-31.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2022-04-08. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Independent school districts.

Apply for HE125422R0008

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