D.C. public charter schools can start applying for federal SOAR grant money on Thursday, Sept. 24. The Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) announced the fiscal year 2027 application window in its Sept. 18 newsletter to local education agencies (LEAs).
The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results (SOAR) Act funds two grants through a single application. The Academic Quality grant gives each eligible public charter school at least $50,000 per year to spend on projects that raise student achievement. The Early Childhood grant supports charter schools where at least 40% of students are 3- and 4-year-olds and that meet Title I-A eligibility, funding literacy and math readiness activities.
Charter school leaders will submit applications through OSSE's Enterprise Grants Management System (EGMS). OSSE has not published the FY27 deadline yet. Last year's deadline was Nov. 21, 2025.
Grant funds can cover salaries, professional services, equipment costing $10,000 or more, and supplies, according to OSSE's application guide. The program is run by OSSE's Office of Federal Programs and Strategic Funding.
Both grants use one application.
The funding arrives as D.C. students continue to post gains. Statewide assessment results released Aug. 20 showed English language arts proficiency rose 2 percentage points to 39.6% and math proficiency climbed 2.1 points to 28.5%, marking the fourth straight year of increases. State Superintendent Dr. Antoinette S. Mitchell said in August, when those results were released, that they showed "steady, citywide progress—especially in the early grades where strong foundations are built."
The same OSSE newsletter flagged several other deadlines for school leaders. Nominations for the Recognizing Inspiring School Employees (RISE) Award, a national honor for classified staff such as bus drivers, paraprofessionals and custodians, are open through Sunday, Oct. 11. Rachelle (Rey) Yombo at OSSE is the contact for nominations. At the 2026 OSSE Educator Awards Ceremony on May 11, John Green of Mary McLeod Bethune Public Charter School was named a national RISE finalist and Marquita Holmes of Stanton Elementary School was named a state nominee.
Other upcoming events include a Taking Action on DC Survey About Your School online session on Sept. 23, a Whole Child and Educator Wellness professional development session on Sept. 24, an Empowering Math Learning Through Social and Emotional Learning community of practice on Sept. 30, and DC Title I Committee of Practitioners applications due Oct. 16.
