California Serves Grant Program 2026-27

Purpose: Funding for the annual grant program is intended to support expanding access for high school graduates to the State Seal of Civic Engagement through high quality service-learning programs. Emphasis shall be on programs that demonstrate rich civic engagement and learning in pursuit of a State Seal of Civic Engagement specifically through service-learning. Description: The California Department of Education invites eligible local educational agencies, which include school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools, to apply for a California Serves Grant to be used for the purpose of promoting access to effective service-learning with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement through service-learning. Grant funding can be used for a wide range of purposes that promote access to effective service-learning for students in grade twelve, with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement through service-learning. Allowable expenditures may include: Paid planning time for teachers to increase the use of service-learning in instruction. Professional development on service learning for administrators and teachers. Purchase of instructional materials to help integrate service-learning in instruction. Participation costs, including materials or travel expenses related to service-learning activities. Personnel costs for coordinating service-learning at the local educational agency or a school site. Participation costs associated with grant program evaluation. Applicants must submit a Notice of Intent to Apply by 4 on Tuesday, September 8, 2026 . See the Request for Applications for guidance on submitting the Notice of Intent to Apply. For any questions about the California Serves Grant Program, please contact Sarah Smith by email at SSCE@ Eligibility Requirements Eligible Applicants: Public Agency Eligibility is limited to local educational agencies, defined as a school district, county office of education, or charter school, within the State of California that serves students in grade twelve. At least 55% of the pupils enrolled in the local educational agency shall be unduplicated pupils. Please review the California Serves Eligibility spreadsheet at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ci/pl/ Important Dates Application deadline The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight. 10/5/26 16:00 Expected award announcement The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant. February 8, 2027 Period of performance The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized. 7/1/2027 - 6/30/2030 Funding Details Total estimated available funding The total projected dollar amount of the grant. $5,000,000 Expected number of awards A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display. Dependent Estimated amount per award Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display. $500,000 Letter of Intent Required? Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent. Yes ( see Description for details Requires Matched Funding? Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source. No Funding Source: The funding source allocated to fund the grant.

Purpose: Funding for the annual grant program is intended to support expanding access for high school graduates to the State Seal of Civic Engagement through high quality service-learning programs. Emphasis shall be on programs that demonstrate rich civic engagement and learning in pursuit of a State Seal of Civic Engagement specifically through service-learning. Description: The California Department of Education invites eligible local educational agencies, which include school districts, county offices of education, or charter schools, to apply for a California Serves Grant to be used for the purpose of promoting access to effective service-learning with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement through service-learning. Grant funding can be used for a wide range of purposes that promote access to effective service-learning for students in grade twelve, with the goal of expanding access for high school graduates in obtaining a State Seal of Civic Engagement through service-learning. Allowable expenditures may include: Paid planning time for teachers to increase the use of service-learning in instruction. Professional development on service learning for administrators and teachers. Purchase of instructional materials to help integrate service-learning in instruction. Participation costs, including materials or travel expenses related to service-learning activities.