CFDA#
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Funder Type
State Government
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IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
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Authority
Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE)
Summary
The 21st CCLC programs provide activities and support that are expected to improve student academic achievement as well as overall student success.
The purpose of the 21st CCLC program is to provide opportunities for communities to establish or expand activities for academic enrichment, including tutorial services to help students, particularly students who attend low-performing schools, to meet the challenging state academic standards all within community learning centers that:
- Provide opportunities for academic enrichment, including providing tutorial services to help students (particularly students who attend low-performing schools), to meet the challenging state academic standards;
- Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities, such as youth development activities; service learning; nutrition and health education; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; arts, music, physical fitness, and wellness programs; technology education programs; financial literacy programs; environmental literacy programs; mathematics, science, and career and technical programs; internship or apprenticeship programs; and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students; and
- Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.
The program objectives of Illinois Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers are:
- Objective 1: Schools will improve student achievement in core academic areas.
- Objective 2: Schools will show an increase in student attendance and graduation from high school.
- Objective 3: Schools will see an increase in the social-emotional skills of their students.
- Objective 4: Programs will collaborate with the community.
- Objective 5: Programs will coordinate with schools to determine the students and families with the greatest need.
- Objective 6: Programs will provide ongoing professional development to program personnel.
- Objective 7: Programs will collaborate with schools and community-based organizations to provide sustainable programs.
The program's purpose can be achieved by addressing the following:
- Provide academic enrichment opportunities for children in grades prekindergarten through 12, particularly to help children who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools meet state and local student academic achievement standards in core subjects. Activities are expected to improve student academic achievement as well as overall student success.
- Provide core academic subjects, including English, reading or language arts, mathematics, science, foreign languages, civics and government, economics, fine arts, history, and geography.
- Offer academic, artistic, and cultural enrichment opportunities to students and their families.
- Provide student activities during non-school hours (before or after school) or periods when school is not in session (including holidays, weekends, or summer recess). Family activities, however, are not restricted to non-school hours and may take place at any time.
- Expanded Learning Time (ELT) may occur only if it aligns to the 21st CCLC activities. No more than 25 percent of the total budget can be allocated to ELT activities.
- Offer students a broad array of additional services, programs, and activities that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic programs of participating students.
- Activities may include youth development activities; drug and violence prevention programs; counseling programs; art, music, and recreation programs; technology education programs; and character education programs.
- Provide a safe environment for students when school is not in session, including safe travel accommodations to and from the center and home for community learning centers established under the 21st CCLC program.
- Offer families of students served by community learning centers opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.
History of Funding
The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program was originally created in 1994 by ESEA and expanded in 2001 by NCLB to provide students in high-need, high-poverty communities the opportunity to participate in after-school programming. These academic enrichment and youth development programs are present in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories and are designed to enhance participants' well-being and academic success.
2023 recipients are available at: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/Title-IV-21st-CCLC-Tentative-Award-Posting-FY2023.pdf
2019 recipients are available at: https://www.isbe.net/Documents/21cclc-State-Fiscal-Year-2019%20Award.pdf.
2017 recipients are available at: https://www2.ed.gov/programs/21stcclc/funding.html.
2015 recipients are available at http://www.isbe.state.il.us/21cclc/excel/21cclc-grant-awards-fy15.xlsx.
2012 recipients are available at: http://www.isbe.state.il.us/21cclc/PDF/grantee_FY12.pdf.
Additional Information
Allowable Activities:
Each eligible entity that receives an award may use the award funds to carry out a broad array of activities that advance student academic achievement and support student success, including:
- Academic enrichment learning programs, mentoring programs, remedial education activities, and tutoring services that are aligned with the challenging state academic standards and any local academic standards;
- Local curricula that are designed to improve student academic achievement;
- Well-rounded education activities, including such activities that enable students to be eligible for credit recovery or attainment;
- Literacy education programs, including financial literacy programs and environmental literacy programs;
- Programs that support a healthy and active lifestyle, including nutritional education and regular, structured physical activity programs;
- Services for individuals with disabilities;
- Programs that provide after-school activities for students who are English Learners that emphasize language skills and academic achievement;
- Cultural programs;
- Telecommunications and technology education programs;
- Expanded library service hours;
- Parenting skills programs that promote parental involvement, family engagement, and family literacy;
- Programs that provide assistance to students who have been truant, suspended, or expelled to allow the students to improve their academic achievement;
- Drug and violence prevention programs and counseling programs;
- Programs that build skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including computer science, and that foster innovation in learning by supporting nontraditional STEM education teaching methods; and
- Programs that partner with in-demand fields of the local workforce or build career competencies and career readiness and ensure that local workforce and career readiness skills are aligned with Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.).
Other Allowable Activities:
21st CCLC funds are available to carry out elements of FSCSs by providing comprehensive academic, social, and health services for students, students' family members, and community members that will result in improved educational outcomes for children. These services may include:
- High-quality early learning programs and services;
- Remedial education aligned with academic supports and other enrichment activities that provide students with a comprehensive academic program;
- Family engagement activities, including parental involvement, parent leadership, family literacy, and parent education programs;
- Mentoring and other youth development programs, and community services and service learning opportunities;
- Programs that provide assistance to students who have been chronically absent, truant, suspended, or expelled;
- Job training and career counseling services, nutrition services and physical activities, primary health and dental care;
- Activities that improve access to and use of social service programs and programs that promote family financial stability;
- Mental health services;
- Adult education, including instruction of adults in English as a second language; and
- Social-emotional learning.
Eligibility Details
Public and private entities, including Local Education Agencies (LEAs), such as public school districts, public university laboratory schools approved by Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE), state-authorized charter schools, area vocational centers, Regional Offices of Education (ROE), and Intermediate Service Centers (ISC); community-based organizations (CBO) including faith-based organizations (FBO), Indian tribes or tribal organizations (as such terms are defined in section of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Act); and other public and private entities are eligible to apply.
The law requires that 21st CCLC awards be granted only to applicants who will primarily serve students who attend schools with a high concentration of students from from low-income families (defined as not less than 40 percent of the students being eligible for free or reduced-price meals).
A consortium of two or more eligible applicants may also submit a proposal as a joint application.
Deadline Details
Applications were due November 24, 2025. A similar deadline is anticipated annually.
Award Details
An anticipated $12.6 million is available in total funding for FY2026. Annual grant awards will be a minimum of $50,000 and a maximum of $600,000, with individual awards not exceeding $150,000 per site (i.e., the physical location where grant-funded services and activities are provided to participating students and adults). The amount of the grant award will be determined based on the need identified in the proposal and the total federal appropriation for the program.
A cost sharing or matching component is not required for these funds.
Applicants may submit any number of applications; however, only their three top scoring applications will be eligible for funding.
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