ESSER Funds
& Grant Writing

Funding for CharacterStrong Curriculum

Interested in the CharacterStrong curriculum, but in need of extra funding sources? We’ve compiled federal funding eligibility resources, ESSER funding details, and grant opportunities, along with writing tips to help you secure funding to purchase and implement CS curriculum.

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ESSER Funds

Grant Writing

What are ESSER Funds?

ESSER, the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund program authorized under the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act, provides additional money for local educational agencies (LEAs) to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, which includes implementing evidence-based curriculum to meet the comprehensive needs of your students.

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ESSER Spending by State

Top 3 Ways to Use Your ESSER Funds

Implementation of Multi-Tiered System of Supports

Integration of School-Based Mental Health

Prioritizing Adult Social & Emotional Learning

Federal Funding Overview

How can ESSER Funds be Used for CharacterStrong Curriculum?

Funding Area Focus	School/District Needs	CharacterStrong Alignment
Activities to address learning loss, including high-quality assessments to determine academic needs, evidence based interventions, assistance to parents and families on how to support students, and tracking attendance and engagement in distance education.	Need to design and implement a Multi-Tiered System of Supports that integrates social, emotional, and behavioral supports with academics, including gathering data to make timely decision. Need to integrate school-based mental health services and supports.	CharacterStrong’s Implementation Team is an arm within the organization that supports schools to use implementation science to build internal capacity to achieve successful implementation of MTSS in the service of producing better and more equitable outcomes for students. CharacterStrong has school-based mental health professionals with experience supporting the integration of mental health services through evidence-based interventions.
Activities to address the unique needs among low-income students, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, homeless students, disabled students, and youth living in foster care.	Need for a social-emotional learning curriculum at the elementary, middle school, or high school level.	CharacterStrong is a PreK-12th grade digital program designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships. CharacterStrong has Tier 2 curriculum (CST2) designed to support executive function skills, social skills, coping skills, and emotion regulation
Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.	Need for high quality professional development that promotes positive school culture and climate that leads to improvements in the well-being and engagement of educators and students. Need for Adult SEL, we need to invest in the adults to support students. Evidence indicates that adult wellbeing has an effect on both students’ wellbeing and their academic performance.	CharacterStrong has multiple professional development opportunities to develop effective school leadership whether that be the building Principal or other school leaders. CharacterStrong’s leadership trainings are designed to develop clarity, competence, and consistency in addressing the needs of individual schools.

Funding Area Focus

School/District Needs

CharacterStrong Alignment

Activities to address learning loss, including high-quality assessments to determine academic needs, evidence based interventions, assistance to parents and families on how to support students, and tracking attendance and engagement in distance education.

Need to design and implement a Multi-Tiered System of Supports that integrates social, emotional, and behavioral supports with academics, including gathering data to make timely decision.

Need to integrate school-based mental health services and supports.

CharacterStrong’s Implementation Team is an arm within the organization that supports schools to use implementation science to build internal capacity to achieve successful implementation of MTSS in the service of producing better and more equitable outcomes for students.

CharacterStrong has school-based mental health professionals with experience supporting the integration of mental health services through evidence-based interventions.

Activities to address the unique needs among low-income students, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, homeless students, disabled students, and youth living in foster care.

Need for a social-emotional learning curriculum at the elementary, middle school, or high school level.

CharacterStrong is a PreK-12th grade digital program designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships.

CharacterStrong has Tier 2 curriculum (CST2) designed to support executive function skills, social skills, coping skills, and emotion regulation

Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.

Need for high quality professional development that promotes positive school culture and climate that leads to improvements in the well-being and engagement of educators and students.

Need for Adult SEL, we need to invest in the adults to support students. Evidence indicates that adult wellbeing has an effect on both students’ wellbeing and their academic performance.

CharacterStrong has multiple professional development opportunities to develop effective school leadership whether that be the building Principal or other school leaders. CharacterStrong’s leadership trainings are designed to develop clarity, competence, and consistency in addressing the needs of individual schools.

Funding Area Focus
Activities to address learning loss, including high-quality assessments to determine academic needs, evidence based interventions, assistance to parents and families on how to support students, and tracking attendance and engagement in distance education.
Activities to address the unique needs among low-income students, English learners, racial and ethnic minorities, homeless students, disabled students, and youth living in foster care.
Providing principals and other school leaders with the resources necessary to address the needs of their individual schools.

School/District Needs
Need to design and implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support that integrates social, emotional, and behavioral supports with academics, including gathering data to make timely decision. Need to integrate school-based mental health services and supports.
Need for a social-emotional learning curriculum at the elementary, middle school, or high school level.
Need for high quality professional development that promotes positive school culture and climate that leads to improvements in the well-being and engagement of educators and students. Need for Adult SEL, we need to invest in the adults to support students. Evidence indicates that adult wellbeing has an effect on both students’ wellbeing and their academic performance.

School/District Needs

Need to design and implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support that integrates social, emotional, and behavioral supports with academics, including gathering data to make timely decision.

Need to integrate school-based mental health services and supports.

Need for a social-emotional learning curriculum at the elementary, middle school, or high school level.

Need for high quality professional development that promotes positive school culture and climate that leads to improvements in the well-being and engagement of educators and students.

Need for Adult SEL, we need to invest in the adults to support students. Evidence indicates that adult wellbeing has an effect on both students’ wellbeing and their academic performance.

CharacterStrong Alignment
CharacterStrong’s Implementation Team is an arm within the organization that supports schools to use implementation science to build internal capacity to achieve successful implementation of MTSS in the service of producing better and more equitable outcomes for students. CharacterStrong has school-based mental health professionals with experience supporting the integration of mental health services through evidence-based interventions.
CharacterStrong is a PreK-12th grade digital program designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships. CharacterStrong has Tier 2 curriculum (CST2) designed to support executive function skills, social skills, and internalizing and externalizing emotions.
CharacterStrong has multiple professional development opportunities to develop effective school leadership whether that be the building Principal or other school leaders. CharacterStrong’s leadership trainings are designed to develop clarity, competence, and consistency in addressing the needs of individual schools.

CharacterStrong Alignment

CharacterStrong has school-based mental health professionals with experience supporting the integration of mental health services through evidence-based interventions.

CharacterStrong is a PreK-12th grade digital program designed to build social and emotional competence, develop character, and cultivate strong educator-student relationships.

CharacterStrong has Tier 2 curriculum (CST2) designed to support executive function skills, social skills, and internalizing and externalizing emotions.

What are Educational Grants?

There are 4 common types of educational grants, local educational agencies (LEAs) typically use to offset general fund spending, 1) Competitive Grants, 2) Formula Grants, 3) Continuation Grants, and 4) Pass Through Grants.

Competitive Grants:
Competitive grants require an application process. These grants require LEAs to complete an application, some more time-intensive than others (competitive vs. non-competitive). These are offered by local, state, and federal agencies, and depending on the type of grant can be used to purchase CharacterStrong curriculum.

Formula Grants:
Formula grants are those automatically allocated by state and federal agencies, think Title or Special Education dollars. These dollars are predetermined based on a formula. Title I, IIA, and IV can be used to purchase training and curriculum related to SEL. Additionally, special education dollars have set asides that must be spent on evidenced-based programs, such as CharacterStrong SEL curriculum.

Continuation Grants:
Continuation grants are grants that continue for multiple years based on a renewal or reallocation of dollars. Some continuation grants are based on passed performance so collecting data on successful outcomes is important and can help with sustaining the cost of our curriculum for multiple years.

Pass Through Grants:
Pass through grants are unique because they require a partnership with another local or state agency that acts as the primary grantee; think Project AWARE grants. Typically, LEAs will spend their own dollars and draw down grant funds from the primary grantee in the form of reimbursements. These are great because some of the compliance burden is offset to the primary grantee freeing up time for the LEA to deliver services.