Stronger Connections Grant
Oregon Department of Education is inviting districts to apply for the Stronger Connections Grant (SCG). This one time competitive grant program will provide additional funding and resources to grantees to support the strengthening of their programs to ensure student well-being.
The Stronger Connections Grant is part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), enacted by Congress “...to establish safer and healthier learning environments, and to prevent and respond to acts of bullying, violence, and hate that impact our school communities at individual and systemic levels, among other programs and activities”.
For more information, see United States Department of Education's Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA), enacted by Congress "to establish safer and healthier learning environments, and to prevent and respond to acts of bullying, violence, and hate that impact our school communities at individual and systemic levels, among other programs and activities”. For more information, see United States Department of Education’s (USED)
Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, Stronger Connections FAQs.
Office Hours
Eligible districts and ESD partners are welcome to join us for a newly added SCG Office Hours on February 23rd at 1 p.m. Please watch for the email from the SCG point of contact, Joanne Edmondson.
Eligible Applicants
Grants will be awarded through a competitive process to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) or consortia of LEAs. The ODE will invite eligible LEAs to apply. Eligible LEAs are those who have high relative percentages (as determined by a scoring rubric) of students who are:
- Navigating poverty,
- Have high rates of barriers to regular attendance (chronic absenteeism),
- Experiencing high exclusionary discipline rates,
- Navigating housing instability, or
- Served in the foster care system.
Purpose of Funding
All grant funded activities proposed in the application must be allowable under Title IVA (ESEA
Section 4108), Safe and Healthy provisions, prioritize the outreach and engagement of Focal Student Groups and provide inclusive, culturally affirming, responsive and culturally specific programming, where appropriate, to support the strengths, assets and needs of students.
Funding priorities include a focus on mental health supports and activities, suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, safe and inclusive school climates and systems to address chronic absenteeism.
Consultation with private schools and Oregon's Tribes are required of SCG applicants. Please refer to ODE's
Tribal Consultation Toolkit for guidance.
Equitable Service Requirements
Eligible districts that have private schools within their boundaries must initiate consultation regarding equitable services with these private schools. This consultation must take place prior to submission of an SCG application so the private schools' needs are included in the community needs assessment and these equitable services are included in the proposed budget.
If an eligible applicant is awarded, they must:
- Notify any participating private schools to continue ongoing consultation.
- Notify any private schools that have previously chosen not to participate and invite them to consultation.
- Invite all private schools to SCG consultation on an annual basis, regardless of their previous participation.
The
SCG Intent to Participate Letter is a sample letter that awarded districts may use to invite private schools to annual consultation.
The awarded applicant can only offer equitable services to private schools that align with their awarded application and budget.
SCG RFA Documents
Eligible districts' applications are due to ODE by
March 8th, 2024 by 3:00 PM PST.