2025 Public Charter School Program (CSP) Implementation Grant for New Operators
Each year, the Florida Department of Education administers the Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant through a request for proposals (RFP) process. The purpose of this grant is to provide financial assistance for the initial implementation of high-quality charter schools and expand the number of high-quality charter schools in Florida.
The RFP below is for the 2025 Charter Schools Program (CSP) grant competition for new charter school operators only (an applicant that has opened less than five public charter schools in Florida). Applicants must fully read the Request for Proposals (RFP) prior to submitting a proposal.
Eligible Applicant(s)
To be eligible to apply for and receive this grant, an applicant must meet the following conditions:
- Submitted a charter school application to a Local Educational Agency (LEA) using the Department’s model charter school application (Form IEPC-M1, effective February 2016 or later) as adopted in State Board of Education Rule 6A-6.0786, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.); and
- Charter application has been approved by the LEA;
- Charter application is denied and pending an appeal.
Only those charter schools that are approved by their Sponsor will be eligible to receive funds under this grant. Prior to approving the initial Project Award Notification (DOE 200) for each school selected for funding, the Department’s Charter Schools Office will verify:
- The CSP sub-recipient has not withdrawn its approved charter school application, and;
- The CSP sub-recipient will open a charter school by August 2026.
An eligible applicant that does not intend to open a charter school in August 2026 should not apply for funding under this competition but should instead apply for future competitions.
Further, an eligible applicant must meet the federal definition of a charter school, as defined in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA § 4310 (2)) and must meet the federal definition of a charter developer (ESEA § 4310 (5)), which is explained immediately below in the section on definitions.
Schools of Hope charter schools that have submitted a Notice of Intent to their local school district are also eligible to apply to and receive this grant.
RFP
- RFP: 2025 Public Charter Schools Program Grant for Implementation RFP (PDF)
- Due Date: Stage I proposal is due by Friday October 24, 2025, at 5:00 pm ET. The due date refers to the date and time the proposal must be fully submitted through the Survey Monkey Apply online application system.
Technical Assistance
- Technical Assistance Webinar: A prerecorded technical assistance webinar is available and may be accessed here: 2025 CSP TA Webinar New Operators Stage I - YouTube. The purpose of the webinar is to provide information related to the technical requirements of the grant and application process.
- Click here to access a PDF of the PowerPoint slides.
- Questions: Questions pertaining to the application process should be e-mailed to charterschoolgrant@fldoe.org with “CSP Question” in the subject header. Questions must be received by the close of business on Friday, October 17, 2025. Answers will be posted to this webpage no later than close of business on Tuesday, October 21, 2025.