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A revised RFP has been posted. The revised RFP includes Code 45 – Supplies and Materials in Attachment B: McKinney-Vento Budget Narrative for 22-25 on pages 34 and 35. Code 45 was omitted from the original RFP.
Watch the 2022-2025 McKinney-Vento Grant Program Informational Webinar
The purpose of McKinney-Vento funding is to facilitate the improved attendance, engagement, and academic success of homeless children and youth.
Additional information and the text of the federal policy are available at: McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act.
New York State local educational agencies (LEAs), which for the purposes of this RFP are public school districts, charter schools, and BOCES, are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity. BOCES may only apply as a part of a consortium.  The NYC Department of Education is the eligible school district applicant in NYC, not individual Community School Districts.  LEAs must have identified a minimum average of 100 students in temporary housing in the 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 school years to be eligible for funding.  LEAs that have identified a three-year average of fewer than 100 students in temporary housing may apply as a consortium of LEAs to bring the total to at least 100.
Single LEAs (which include public school districts and charter schools)
must have identified a minimum average of 100 students in temporary housing in the 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-2021 school years to be eligible for funding. For example, if a district identified 75 students as homeless in SY 2018-19, 95 students as homeless in SY 2019-20, and 140 students as homeless in SY 2020-21, the district would be eligible for funding because the average for the three years is 103. The three-year averages for all districts and charter schools are posted on the NYS-TEACHS website under the heading “SIRS Data on Student Homelessness – 3 Year Summary.”
The averages are calculated using duplicated data from the data warehouse. Duplicated data is used to better reflect the fluid movement of students within LEAs.  Here is a link  for more information on the data warehouse, also known as Student Information Repository System or SIRS.
Consortiums (which can include BOCES)
LEAs that have identified a three-year average of fewer than 100 students in temporary housing may apply as a consortium of LEAs whose total identified students in temporary housing is equal to or greater than 100 on average across all three school years. BOCES are eligible to apply for a McKinney-Vento grant as a part of a consortium.  However, a BOCES cannot apply on its own.
District A has an average of 90 students in temporary housing in school years 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21;
District B has an average of 80 students in temporary housing during the same time period;
Districts A, B, and C apply as a consortium;
Then, the total for their consortium is 265 students in temporary housing.
BOCES do not have averages of students identified as homeless. The total number of students identified as homeless for any consortium will be the sum of the averages of the component districts in the consortium.
Please note all consortium members must be LEAs and must be direct providers of services.  Consortium members CANNOT be third-party contractors.  The application must be submitted by an identified lead LEA that will serve as fiscal agent for the funding.  The consortium member that is designated as the lead applicant/fiscal agent must be an LEA and must also be a direct provider of services.  BOCES are only eligible to apply as a part of a consortium; a BOCES cannot apply on its own.  Consortium applicants must submit Attachment A, “Consortium Member Agreement and Statement of Assurances”.
A BOCES can serve as the lead or member LEA of one or more consortiums. A program contact as the lead LEA will oversee the implementation of the project, arrange for the disbursement of funds to participating LEAs, and submit required reports and documentation to NYSED as requested.
All consortium members, including the LEA designated as the lead applicant/fiscal agent, must be eligible recipients and be a direct provider of services. Consortium members CANNOT include third-party contractors.
A school district or charter school can only be included in one application (e.g., a school district may not apply both on its own and as a part of a consortium).
Funding comes from the U.S. Department of Education, through the Education of Homeless Children and Youth Program authorized by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. McKinney-Vento grant awards are contingent on the annual state allocation.  Approximately $7 million per year is expected to be available.
Funding Period: The grant period will cover three one-year periods: September 1, 2022 – August 31, 2023; September 1, 2023 – August 31, 2024; and September 1, 2024 – August 31, 2025.  Years 2 and 3 will be authorized based upon submission of a satisfactory annual program report that includes progress toward stated activity outcomes and an associated budget review. Funding for Years 2 and 3 will be awarded at the same level as Year 1.
The Grant is intended to support LEAs in their efforts to promote school success for students in temporary housing.  Funding will be structured as follows based on the LEA’s/Consortium’s average number of students identified as homeless:
100-500 students identified – up to $125,000 per year
501-1,000 students identified – up to $175,000 per year
1,001-50,000 students identified – up to $250,000 per year
>50,000 students identified – up to $2.5 million per year.
Applications will be ranked from highest to lowest score.  NYSED will fund as many applications as possible (using the funding levels described above) working down the rank order until funds are exhausted.  The minimum score to qualify for ranking will be 60 points.   Please note that this award does not allow grantees to carry over unexpended grant funds into the next school/funding year.
A webinar was held on April 7, 2022. This webinar is for anyone interested in applying for the 2022-2025 McKinney-Vento Grant. The session provides an overview of the application process as well as information about the application's structure and required components. The recorded webinar is available to view here:
Watch the 2022-2025 McKinney-Vento Grant Program Informational Webinar
2022-2025 McKinney-Vento Grant Program Informational Webinar Presentation Slides
An electronic version of the complete application in Microsoft Word (.docx) or portable document format (.pdf) must be sent to homelessrfp@nysed.gov by no later than 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on May 19, 2022.  Applications received after that date and time will not be reviewed.
Applicants must also mail in one complete hardcopy application with original, authorized signature(s), as well as one original and two copies of the signed FS-10 budget.  These materials must be postmarked by the application deadline, May 19, 2022.
Mailing address for the application:
New York State Education Department
Office of ESSA Funded Programs, Room EB 320
Attn: McKinney-Vento Education of Homeless Children and Youth Application
Application Scoring and Awards
Funds are awarded based on the quality of the application. Strong applications will provide thorough, thoughtful answers to all relevant points described in the instructions, with emphasis on activities that facilitate improved attendance, engagement, and academic success in schools.  Examples of activities that LEAs can include, but are not limited to:  mentoring and/or tutoring programs, coordination of counseling services, family support and/or programming, professional development, transportation to/from extra-curricular activities, preschool outreach, weekend food programs, and physical improvements to shelter or school space to create a safe and supportive educational environment. Budget proposals should clearly reflect the stated program activities.
Additionally, partnerships with local agencies and/or community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide wrap around services are encouraged and may be included in the grant activity section of the application.
Points are awarded based on the quality of activities described, not the quantity.  No points will be given for activities that aim to fulfill the basic McKinney-Vento statutes of identification, immediate enrollment, or transportation to/from the regular school day.
Each eligible proposal will be reviewed by at least two reviewers. Each reviewer will score the proposal according to the indicated point criteria in the Proposal Narrative and the Budget using the Proposal Evaluation Rubric.  If individual scores are more than 15 points apart, another reviewer will score the application.  The two scores closest in numeric value will be averaged to calculate the final average score of the application.  If the third reviewer’s score is equal to the average of the two original scores, the third reviewer’s score will become the final score.
Only applications from eligible applicants received by email by 5:00 p.m. on the due date of May 19, 2022, will be reviewed and rated (A hardcopy of the application plus an original and two copies of the FS-10 should also be postmarked by the due date). The scores of the reviewers will be totaled and then averaged to arrive at the final score for each application.
For the Grant application, the highest scoring applications, scoring at least 60 points, will be awarded Grants.  If there are not sufficient grant funds available for all fundable Grant applications scoring at least 60 points, applications will be ranked from highest to lowest score and will be awarded, in rank order, until the grant funds are exhausted.  In the event of a tie score, the application with the higher score on Program Design and Implementation Plan will be ranked higher than the other application with the same overall score.  In the event of a tie score on Program Design and Implementation Plan, the application serving the higher number of students identified as homeless will be ranked higher than the other application with the same overall score.
See the Evaluation Rubric in the RFP for more detail about how applications will be scored.
NYSED reserves the right to eliminate any budget item or activity deemed unallowable or inappropriate in the budget narrative or FS-10 form. Grantees will not be allowed to substitute new items for those that have been eliminated.
The State of New York has implemented a statewide prequalification process (described on the Grants Gateway website) designed to facilitate prompt contracting for not-for-profit vendors.  All not-for-profit vendors, including charter schools, are required to pre-qualify prior to grant application.  This includes all currently funded not-for-profit institutions that have already received an award and are in the middle of the program cycle.  (BOCES and public school districts are exempt from the Prequalification requirement.)
The pre-qualification must be completed by all not-for-profit institutions prior to the application deadline of 5:00 p.m. on May 19, 2022, to receive an award under this RFP. Please review the additional information regarding this requirement in the Prequalification for Individual Applications section below.
Non-Mandatory Notice of Intent
The Notice of Intent (NOI) is not a requirement for submitting a complete application. However, the New York State Education Department (NYSED) strongly encourages all prospective applicants to submit an NOI to ensure a timely and thorough review and rating process.
A non-profit applicant’s NOI will also help to facilitate timely review of prequalification materials.  The NOI is a simple email notice stating your organization’s intent to apply for this grant, and it must include the legal name of the organization and the NYS Vendor ID.  Please send the NOI to homelessrfp@nysed.gov by May 3, 2022.
Required Reporting and Cohort Participation
ALL GRANTEES: The McKinney-Vento Liaison or authorized grant representative for each funding recipient will be required to submit end-of-year reports at the completion of each program/fiscal year (August 31).  The reports will outline progress towards program activity outcomes, as well as grant spending.  Grantees will also use the end-of-year reports to provide information about the LEA’s implementation plan for the upcoming program/fiscal year.
NYS-TEACHS will email Grantees with the End-of-Year Report template in advance of the August 31 deadline.
An LEA’s failure to implement and/or report on approved grant activities without reasonable explanation may result in an audit by NYSED the following year and/or possibly delay dispersal of funds.
The McKinney-Vento Liaison or authorized grant representative from each funded LEA is required to participate in:
3 McKinney-Vento Grantee Conference Calls per school year;
An annual Spring McKinney-Vento Grantee Meeting (if the meeting is in-person, grant funds may be used for travel and overnight stay costs);
Any NYSED, NYS-TEACHS, or approved third-party requests for data, survey responses, and/or site visits; and
Mid-year check-ins throughout the 3-year grant cycle with NYSED, NYS-TEACHS, and/or a field expert to address successes and challenges that the grantee has faced during plan implementation.  The purpose of these conversations is to course correct as needed to serve students in temporary housing effectively and ensure fidelity to trauma-sensitive practices.  Check-ins may be done in person or virtually.
Note: All grant programs must maintain current programmatic and fiscal records for a minimum of seven years after the grant period is over and make them available during any requested monitoring visits and/or site visits.
Successful grant applicants will develop and implement activities, programs, and/or partnerships that aim to increase attendance, engagement, and academic success for students in temporary housing. Program activities and services may be provided on school grounds or at other facilities such as shelters, community organizations, or counseling/health clinics.  Successful applicants will include a mix of activity types within their applications, including but not limited to;
student-facing activities (e.g., tutoring),
student/family support services (e.g., supplies),
capacity-building activities (e.g., professional development) and
social and emotional learning (e.g., trauma-sensitive strategies).
Activities undertaken must not isolate or stigmatize students in temporary housing and cannot replace regular academic programs. Instead, they must be designed to expand on or improve services provided as part of the LEA’s regular academic program.  Funds for this program must be used to supplement (increase the level of services) and not supplant (replace) funds from other federal, state, and/or local sources.
Additionally, please note that McKinney-Vento Competitive Grant funds CANNOT be used to implement some state and federally mandated services. The “LEA Responsibilities Chart” on page 20 outlines which activities will receive points ONLY as required prerequisites and which activities are eligible to receive points and funding as grant program activities.
For a full list of mandated responsibilities, please see Sections 722(g)(3) & 732(g)(6) of the McKinney-Vento Act, available here: www.nysteachs.org.
Allowable Activities for the Grant include, but are not limited to:
The provision of tutoring, supplemental instruction, and enriched educational services, as well as transportation to and from such services;
Before-school and after-school activities, mentoring, and summer programs with a teacher or other qualified individual, as well as transportation related to these programs and services;
Provision of student support services, including mental health counseling and violence prevention counseling, as well as transportation related to these services;
Partnerships with local organizations to provide physical and mental health services, enrichment activities, or other “whole child” supports, as well as transportation related to these services;
Programs focused on building executive functioning skills such as coping, self-regulation, and leadership;
Supplies needed for school and/or personal hygiene;
Supplemental food programs such as after-school snacks or weekend food programs;
Provision of developmentally appropriate early childhood education programs not otherwise provided;
Provision of education and training to parents of students in temporary housing about educational rights and resources that are available;
Adaptation of space, purchase of supplies for non-school facilities (e.g.,age-appropriate play/study spaces within shelters or “calming corners” in classrooms);and
Professional development and training on McKinney-Vento statutes, trauma-sensitivity, or another related topic for educators, school/district personnel, and/or community partners.
In addition, grant funds may be used for:
Salary for the full-time or part-time McKinney-Vento liaison if he/she directly manages the McKinney-Vento grant activities in addition to the state and federally mandated duties (application must include specifics about this person’s grant-related duties); and
Salaries/stipends for other full-time or part-time staff or volunteers who are directly working to implement the grant activities.
A school-wide approach to trauma-sensitivity that addresses the negative effects of chronic stress or trauma through a focus on school climate that addresses the following three elements:
Creating a safe and supportive environment (e.g., predictable and safe environments at critical transition points for families and students including a welcoming enrollment office or a calm and supportive bus ride to and from school);
Fostering secure attachments (e.g., consistent one-on-one relationships with adults; participation in a mentoring program in school or in a community-based program); and
Strengthening a student’s non-cognitive skills (e.g., programs/curricula designed to teach or improve students’ ability to be resilient, self-regulate, or cope in a healthy way).
Accessibility of Web-Based Information and Applications
Any documents, web-based information and applications development, or programming delivered pursuant to the contract or procurement, will comply with New York State Education Department IT Policy NYSED-WEBACC-001, Web Accessibility Policy as such policy may be amended, modified or superseded, which requires that state agency web-based information, including documents, and applications are accessible to persons with disabilities. Documents, web-based information and applications must conform to NYSED-WEBACC-001 as determined by quality assurance testing. Such quality assurance testing will be conducted by a NYSED employee or contractor and the results of such testing must be satisfactory to NYSED before web-based information and applications will be considered a qualified deliverable under the contract or procurement.
A complete application for the Grant includes:
Application and Related Materials Checklist
Section A – Local Landscape
Section B - Program Design and Implementation
Attachment A – Consortium Member Agreement and Statement of Assurances (if applicable)
FS-10 Budget Form & Budget Narrative (Attachment B) for Grant
The State Education Department does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, national origin, race, gender, genetic predisposition or carrier status, or sexual orientation in its educational programs, services, and activities.  Portions of any publication designed for distribution can be made available in a variety of formats, including Braille, large print or audiotape, upon request.  Inquiries regarding this policy of nondiscrimination should be directed to the Department’s Office for Diversity, Ethics, and Access, Room 530, Education Building, Albany, NY 12234.