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Religious and Independent School Support

Religious and Independent School Support

Funding Opportunities

The following opportunities are available for eligible religious and independent schools in New York State:

Important Note on Vendor ID Numbers:

In order to take advantage of grant funding, religious and independent schools are required to have a Vendor record established in the Statewide Financial System (SFS) and obtain an OSC Vendor ID number. If you don't currently have a Vendor ID, you can request one by completing the Payee Information form found on the Grants Finance webpage. This form also needs to be completed if the Vendor ID number does not appear in the SEDREF record.

21st Century Community Learning Centers

The federally-funded program, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, supports the creation of community learning centers that operate programs during non-school hours for students, particularly for students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, and their families. By providing tutoring and other academic enrichment activities along with a broad array of youth development opportunities that complement their regular academic programs, these centers help students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as English language arts and math. In addition, literacy and other educational services are offered to families of students participating in the program.

The Academic Intervention for Nonpublic Schools (AIS) is a one hundred percent state funded grant, based upon Commissioner's Regulations 100.2. Originally created in 2003-2004, this fund was created to assist the teachers and administrators of those religious and independent schools which administer the state English Language Arts (ELA) and Math exams, and have students scoring at levels one and two.  The grant provides reimbursement funds for professional development of educational personnel or the purchase of instructional materials (such as new ELA and Math programs, curricula and books) designed to assist these lower scoring students, in the hopes of raising the bar of student performance on the State assessments.   

 

Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Grant Allocations (Year 6) – Below are links to the Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Grant information for Year 6 (2022-23 School Year)

 

The Learning Technology Grant Program (LTG) is run by the Office of Educational Design & Technology.

LTG is a competitive, three-year New York State grant program, based upon Commissioner’s Regulations 144.8. The purpose of this grant is to develop, implement, and share innovative programs that utilize learning technologies to personalize learning and/or increase access to high-quality, rigorous learning experiences (such as through online, distance, or blended learning), as well as professional development programs to assist teachers and educational leaders in effectively utilizing learning technology to enhance teaching and learning. These programs (and component activities, materials, courses, etc.) will focus on improving culturally- and linguistically-responsive learning environments, and will support the mission of the NYS Board of Regents, which is to ensure that every child has equitable access to the highest quality educational opportunities, services and supports in schools that provide effective instruction aligned to the state’s standards, as well as positive learning environments so that each child is prepared for success in college, career, and citizenship.

Eligible applicants include public schools districts, BOCES and consortiums thereof. All public school district applicants, either independent or as part of a consortium, must give religious and independent schools within their boundaries the opportunity to participate. Religious and independent schools choosing to participate must be given the opportunity for meaningful and substantial involvement in the development of the proposal. The current grant period is from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2024. All questions regarding LTG please email LTG@nysed.gov or contact the Office of Educational Design and Technology at (518) 474-5461 or edtech@nysed.gov. 

Mandated Services Aid (MSA)/Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP)

Mandated Services Aid (MSA) is a state reimbursement program which began in 1974 for religious and independent schools that participate in certain mandates of the Commissioner regarding data reporting, pupil testing and pupil evaluation.  In order to be eligible for reimbursement, a school must provide instruction in accordance with section 3204 of the Education Law; require students to attend full time instruction according to section 3205 of the Education Law; not be the recipients of other State or local aid, directly or indirectly, (e.g. tuition payments); and be a not-for-profit corporation. The religious or independent school must be recognized as a school by the filing of a BEDS report, and have met the all other requirements of the mandate(s) in a timely fashion; and be able to produce documentation (if necessary) to satisfy the requirements of the mandate. Currently, there are a total of 17 mandates for which schools may be eligible for reimbursement. Questions about filing for Mandated Services are handled by the MSA-CAP Office.

The Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) was promulgated by the Board of Regents for all schools in June, 2002.  The attendance policy must encompass the nine points outlined in Commissioner’s Regulations 104.1(i) [external link] , within the State Education Department’s website.  All religious and independent schools must have such a policy on file and may be asked to produce the policy during a site visit, or claim review.  CAP claims always occur after the MSA claim for a specific year; in fact, a school is not eligible for CAP in a particular school year if it has not filed the MSA claim for that year. More information about Comprehensive Attendance Policy claims can be obtained by calling the MSA-CAP Office.

Contact Information for Mandated Services Aid and Comprehensive Attendance Policy:

New York State Education Department
Office of MSA/CAP
89 Washington Avenue
Room 1078 EBA
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: (518) 474-3936
Fax: (518) 474-4674
E-Mail:  MSA-CAP@nysed.gov

Mathematics, Science, & Technology Teachers in Religious & Independent Schools Grant (MST) - Year 6 Funds to reimburse religious and independent schools for Mathematics, Science, and Technology teachers were appropriated in the 2021-22 enacted State budget. The program is governed by Section 3037 of Education Lawexternal link, added by Chapter 59 of 2017. Religious and independent schools that employ eligible teachers of Mathematics, Science, or Technology may seek reimbursement.

Links to the MST 2022-2023 (Year 6) Guidance, Reimbursement Form and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can be found below:

MST Year 6 Guidance

MST Year 6 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Sample Master Schedule

SED Monitoring FAQ

MST Year 6 Reimbursement Form in: 

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8/28/2023: ORISS completed reviewing Year 5 grant applications for instructors at religious and independent schools who teach Mathematics, Science, or Technology (MST).  ORISS received 2202 individual teacher applications (a total of 2553 subjects) from 415 total schools.  There were 1,777 approved teachers (a total of 2126 approved subjects) from 375 approved schools.  Four hundred thirty applications were either denied or withdrawn. The results for the schools are in the MST Year 5 Allocations.

For the 2021-2022 school year, the Legislature appropriated $40 million for the program.  Education Law § 3037(2)(b), which authorizes the program, anticipated the possibility that applications for reimbursement would exceed the appropriation amount.  It stipulated that in such a scenario, each applicant shall only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted.  Since the total approved applications submitted for reimbursement under such section totaled $104,441,284.54, staff prorated each approved application by approximately 38.3% resulting in $40,000,036 being reimbursed.  This figure represents the percentage of the appropriation amount compared to the total amount of approved claims.

 

5/18/2023:   ORISS completed reviewing Year 4 grant applications for instructors at religious and independent schools who teach Mathematics, Science, or Technology (MST).  ORISS received approximately 2,000 applications from over 300 schools for the 4th grant year; the results for the schools are in the MST 4 Allocations.

For the 2020-2021 school year, the Legislature appropriated $30 million for the program.  Education Law § 3037(2)(b), which authorizes the program, anticipated the possibility that applications for reimbursement would exceed the appropriation amount.  It stipulated that in such a scenario, each applicant shall only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted.  Since the total approved applications submitted for reimbursement under such section totaled $89,911,520, staff prorated each approved application by approximately 33%.  This figure represents the percentage of the appropriation amount compared to the total amount of approved claims.

Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) Grant – Year 9

The purpose of the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment Grant is to provide religious and independent schools with reimbursement for expenditures related to certain school safety and health expenses.

Projects and payments for Year 9 must have been completed by March 31, 2023. The application submission deadline is March 31, 2023.

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Below are links to the Nonpublic School Safety Grant information:

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Information on Purchasing Safety Equipment off a State Contract:  

We are pleased to confirm that Section 109-a of the General Municipal Law permits nonprofit religious and independent schools to participate in the State Office of General Services (OGS) Contract, which may result in lower costs for purchase and installation of eligible safety equipment for your school.  Since the State Contract contains a broader list of equipment than the eligible list for NPSE, school officials should confirm that the equipment appears on the NYSED list of eligible equipment for NPSE.  

In order for your nonprofit school to purchase off of a NYS contract, you will need a Customer ID number.  If your school has purchased off of a NYS contract in the past, then the school will have a Customer ID number as it does not expire. 

In the event that you need a Customer ID number, please complete the Application for Eligibility to use Centralized State Contracts. 

To view potential contracts, please visit the Searchable List of OGS Contracts.