Social Isolation Support Grant
The California State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and the California Department of Education (CDE) invite all non-profit community-based organizations to apply for grants to address social isolation.
“As a result of the pandemic, many young people found themselves disconnected from others. As a further result, there have been major spikes in levels of depression among California school students.” Thurmond said. “Even as schools opened for in person instruction in the 2021–22 school year, many students may still be experiencing some form of social isolation—especially because many students have been off campus for nearly two years. It’s critical that our schools and districts can work with community-based organizations that can demonstrate deep experience and a history of working to help counter social isolation.”
The grants to counter social isolation are part of an ongoing effort to address the COVID-19 pandemic’s continued impact on students. The CDE will award grants of up to $250,000* each to community-based organizations that can demonstrate their ability to partner with schools and districts to provide programs and supports to offset the social isolation experienced by students during the pandemic and help them build healthy social connections.
The application process and criteria are available on the CDE website December 8, 2021, and the deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. Friday, January 7, 2022. The grants are funded through a $2 million appropriation in the 2021–22 California State Budget (AB 130, Chapter 44, Sec. 164)
All questions regarding the grant process can be directed by email HERE.
*Applications for amounts exceeding $250,000 will be considered if the program application is well-justified and the budget is realistic and well-supported. For more information, please refer to the Request for Application (RFA).
Funding Name: Social Isolation Supports.
Eligible Applicants: nonprofit organizations.
Funding Description: The California Department of Education (CDE) is accepting applications from community-based organizations supporting local educational agencies with technical assistance and/or the implementation of high quality integrated academic, behavioral, and social-emotional learning practices that target and counter social isolation.
Interested parties can view the RFP HERE.