Potential Cohort 16 21st CCLC RFA Changes
February 10, 2025
The California Department of Education (CDE) Expanded Learning Division (EXLD) would like to notify the field of potential changes that will be part of the Cohort 16 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC) Request for Applications (RFA). Please note, the following potential changes are currently being reviewed and vetted by various stakeholders including The Advisory Committee on Before and After School Programs, CDE’s Legal and internal approval process and therefore, subject to edits or omissions once the RFA is final and posted on our website:
Intent to Apply: All applicants must complete and submit an Intent to Submit an Application (ITSA) to the Expanded Learning Division. Failure to submit this form will result in the applicant being unable to apply for the Cohort 16 21st CCLC RFA.
- Change in the timeline: To be timelier with the Grant Award Notifications (GANs), we will be moving up the timeline. We anticipate the release of the RFA in August 2025 with an October due date. This change in the timeline will impact when the CDE can access the required data for several components of the RFA, including:
- Grant Reductions: We will use the grant reduction data that will be disseminated in Spring of 2025 based off attendance in calendar year 2024.
- Free and Reduced Priced Meal Data: We will acquire this data from FY 24–25 or the most recent data available on the CDE website prior to the RFA application deadline.
- Title 1 Status: We will acquire Title 1 status from FY 24–25 or the most recent data available on the CDE website prior to the RFA application deadline.
- Grant Reductions: We will be implementing grant reductions. If a site has experienced a grant reduction, they will not receive a priority item for having an expiring or previous grant.
- Narrative Review: Narratives will be reviewed after the posted intent to award by qualified reviewers.
- Assessment: Instead of six individual assessments, each applicant and co-applicant(s) must complete a 20-question assessment with a score of no less than 75%.
If you have any additional questions about these changes, please contact Joshua Brady at: jbrady@cde.ca.gov.