Religious and Independent Schools

Funding Opportunities for the Nonpublic Schools

The following opportunities are available for eligible nonpublic schools in New York State:


21st Century Community Learning Centers

The federally-funded program, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, supports the creation of community learning centers that operate programs during non-school hours for students, particularly for students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools, and their families. By providing tutoring and other academic enrichment activities along with a broad array of youth development opportunities that complement their regular academic programs, these centers help students meet state and local student standards in core academic subjects, such as English language arts and math. In addition, literacy and other educational services are offered to families of students participating in the program.


The Academic Intervention for Nonpublic Schools (AIS) is a one hundred percent state funded grant, based upon Commissioner's Regulations 100.2.  Originally created in 2003-2004, this fund was created to assist the teachers and administrators of those nonpublic schools which administer the state English Language Arts and Math exams, and have students scoring at levels one and two. The grant provides professional development for those educational personnel with these lower scoring students, in the hopes of raising the bar of student performance on the State assessments.

Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Grant Allocations (Year 4)-Below are links to the Academic Intervention Services (AIS) Grant information for Year 4 (2020-21 School Year):


The Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP) was promulgated by the Board of Regents for all schools in June, 2002.  The attendance policy must encompass the nine points outlined in Commissioner’s Regulations 104.1(i)external link, within the State Education Department’s website.  All nonpublic schools must have such a policy on file and may be asked to produce the policy during a site visit, or claim review.  CAP claims always occur after the MSA claim for a specific year; in fact, a school is not eligible for CAP in a particular school year if it has not filed the MSA claim for that year. More information about Comprehensive Attendance Policy claims can be obtained by calling the Grants Management Office.


The Learning Technology Grant Program (LTG) is run by the Office of Educational Design & Technology.

LTG is a competitive, three-year New York State grant program, based upon Commissioner’s Regulations 144.8. The purpose of this grant is to develop, implement, and share innovative programs that utilize learning technologies to personalize learning and/or increase access to high-quality, rigorous learning experiences (such as through online, distance, or blended learning), as well as professional development programs to assist teachers and educational leaders in effectively utilizing learning technology to enhance teaching and learning. These programs (and component activities, materials, courses, etc.) will focus on improving culturally- and linguistically-responsive learning environments, and will support the mission of the NYS Board of Regents, which is to ensure that every child has equitable access to the highest quality educational opportunities, services and supports in schools that provide effective instruction aligned to the state’s standards, as well as positive learning environments so that each child is prepared for success in college, career, and citizenship.

Eligible applicants include public schools districts, BOCES and consortiums thereof. All public school district applicants, either independent or as part of a consortium, must give religious and independent schools within their boundaries the opportunity to participate. Religious and independent schools choosing to participate must be given the opportunity for meaningful and substantial involvement in the development of the proposal. The current grant period is from September 1, 2018 to June 30, 2021.

All questions regarding the grant application must be submitted by email to LTG2018@nysed.gov by close of business, May 11, 2018. General questions about LTG may be directed to the Office of Educational Design and Technology at (518) 474-5461 or edtech@nysed.gov.

CONTACT INFO:
New York State Education Department
Office of Educational Design and Technology
89 Washington Avenue
Room 880 EBA
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: (518) 474-5461
Fax: (518) 474-4351
E-Mail: edtech@nysed.gov


Mandated Services Aid (MSA) is a state reimbursement program which began in 1974 for nonpublic schools that participate in certain mandates of the Commissioner regarding data reporting, pupil testing and pupil evaluation.  In order to be eligible for reimbursement, a nonpublic school must provide instruction in accordance with section 3204 of the Education Law; require students to attend full time instruction according to section 3205 of the Education Law; not be the recipients of other State or local aid, directly or indirectly, (e.g. tuition payments); and be a not-for-profit corporation. The nonpublic must be recognized as a school by the filing of a BEDS report, and have met the all other requirements of the mandate(s) in a timely fashion; and be able to produce documentation (if necessary) to satisfy the requirements of the mandate. Currently, there are a total of 17 mandates for which schools may be eligible for reimbursement. Questions about filing for Mandated Services are handled by the Grants Management Office.


Mathematics, Science, & Technology Teachers in Religious & Independent Schools Grant(MST) - Year 4 Funds to reimburse religious and independent schools for Mathematics, Science, and Technology teachers were appropriated in the 2019-20 enacted State budget. The program is governed by Section 3037 of Education Lawexternal link, added by Chapter 59 of 2017. Religious and independent schools that employ eligible teachers of Mathematics, Science, or Technology may seek reimbursement.

Links to the MST 2020-2021 (Year 4) Guidance, Reimbursement Form and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can be found below:

MST 2020-21 Guidance

MST 2020-21 Reimbursement Form

MST Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

SED Monitoring FAQ

MST Year 3 (2019-2020 school year) applications are under review, once completed the allocations will be calculated and a notification will be sent out.  If there are questions concerning your Year 3 SORIS staff will reach out to you.

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10/07/2020 - Mathematics, Science, & Technology Teachers in Religious & Independent Schools Grant (MST) Year 2 Reimbursements

SORIS has completed the application review for the second year of the Mathematics, Science, and Technology (MST) Teachers in Religious and Independent Schools program. The New York State Education Department received over 1,700 applications from nearly 400 schools in the 2018-2019 school year. In the second year, $15 million was appropriated for the MST program. Education Law § 3037(2)(b), which authorizes the program, provides that in the event that the applications for reimbursement exceed the $15 million appropriation, then each applicant shall only be reimbursed in an amount equal to the percentage each such applicant represents to the total of all applications submitted. Since the total approved applications submitted for reimbursement under such section totaled $72,958,971 staff prorated each approved application by approximately 20.56%, which represents the percentage of the appropriation compared to the total approved reimbursable claims. Please see the following list of all schools’ reimbursements pdf link. An email has been sent to all applicant school administrators, as well as a letter that provides detailed information about individual applications.


Contact Information for Mandated Services Aid and Comprehensive Attendance Policy:

New York State Education Department
Office of Grants Management
89 Washington Avenue
Room 481 EBA
Albany, New York 12234
Phone: (518) 474-3936
Fax: (518) 474-4674
E-Mail: EMSCMSA@mail.nysed.gov

Last Updated: April 28, 2021