Great Schools for Nevada Charter School Grant Program
What is Great Schools for Nevada?
Great Schools for Nevada is a federal Charter School Program (CSP) grant facilitated by Opportunity 180. As a public education champion and advocacy organization based in Southern Nevada, one key portion of our work is to seek out, vet, and support innovative leaders and high-performing school models. The CSP Grant represents significant funds available to help Nevada expand opportunities for students to attend excellent public charter schools that prepare them for both college and career.
The CSP Grant provides financial assistance to State Entities to support charter schools that serve elementary and secondary schools in a given state. Under the program, Opportunity 180 makes subgrants to eligible applicants for the purpose of opening new public charter schools, as well as replicating or expanding high-quality public charter schools. Grant funds may also be used to provide technical assistance to eligible applicants and authorized public chartering agencies in opening new charter schools and replicating and expanding high-quality charter schools, and to work with authorized public chartering agencies to improve authorizing quality, including developing capacity for, and conducting, fiscal oversight and auditing of charter schools.
The Great Schools for Nevada CSP, awarded to Opportunity 180 as Nevada’s State Entity, is a competitive grant process. To ensure alignment of efforts and avoid duplication of work for maximum impact, Opportunity 180 will consult quarterly with an Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from the Nevada Department of Education, the Charter School Association of Nevada (CSAN), and the State Public Charter School Authority (SPCSA). Opportunity 180 will fund only high-quality public charter school plans, and subgrant determinations will be made through a rigorous third-party peer review process. There is no guarantee that submitting a proposal will result in funding, or funding at the required levels. Proposals that do not meet a minimum score will not be funded. Awards are determined on need, which includes approved student enrollment at full capacity, facility’s ability to accommodate that number of students, and a school’s score on the Great Schools Nevada CSP rubric.
Depending on the need and criteria being met, schools qualify for up to $2 million in funds. If you are interested in learning more, explore our “How to Apply for a Federal Charter School Start-Up Grant” section below.
The Great Schools for Nevada project has two main objectives:
What can grant funds be used for?
Great Schools for Nevada Federal CSP will provide sub-grants to qualified public charter schools to provide financial support for the initial implementation of expanding, replicating, or opening a public charter school.
Great Schools for Nevada CSP subgrants are designed to be for a period of up to 18 months for planning and 24 consecutive months for implementation activities leading up to and following the opening of a new school, replication school, or expansion project. The process to apply begins with a high stakes letter of intent and eligibility review. Applicants that meet the letter of intent criteria and eligibility review will be invited to apply. All federal definitions are included in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Is my school eligible for a CSP grant?
Eligible applicants must have an approved Charter application from a Nevada authorizer in order to receive Federal CSP dollars under this program. This will be a condition of any subgrantee award if not already met. Use the following checklist below to determine if your school is eligible.
Please note that eligibility is reviewed and ultimately decided by the CSP management team.
Additional Application Requirements for Eligible Schools:
The Great Schools for Nevada CSP Subgrant has a rigorous Request for Application (RFA). The RFA seeks to identify qualified, high-quality eligible applicants that have the capacity to meet the objective of the CSP grant to serve more students, especially those who are educationally disadvantaged. In order to demonstrate the ability to create a high-quality charter school, the eligible applicant will submit a complete application, follow and meet the criteria of the Great Schools Nevada CSP Rubric that is included in the RFA, and submit any supplemental information outlined in the application process in the timeline provided below.
*Eligibility is reviewed and confirmed by the CSP management team.
2026 Application Process
The competition for funding will launch January 5, 2026, and close February 13, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST. Please read the Request for Applications document containing eligibility requirements, and outlining the application process in detail. Schools can apply for the Great Schools for Nevada CSP Subgrant if they have an authorizer-approved charter or plan to have an authorizer-approved charter by the time award funds are dispersed in May 2026.
Step 1
Eligibility Form + Letter of Intent
Due January 12, 2026 by 11:59 PM PST
Schools must complete both forms via the online portal to qualify for the competition. Schools that do not submit a letter of intent and eligibility form will not be eligible to apply for CSP funds in this cycle.
Step 2
Invitation to Apply
January 16, 2026
Only applicants that pass eligibility review are invited to submit a full application. Schools that have been invited to submit an application, or declined to enter the application stage, will be notified. The application will be available for schools to edit and upload documents through February 13, 2026. All elements of the application should be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on February 13, 2026, Pacific Standard Time.
Step 3
Application Window
January 16 – February 13, 2026
All materials must be uploaded by 11:59 PM PST on Feb 13, 2026.
Step 4
Application Review
February 25 – April 15, 2026
Independent evaluators score proposals using the CSP rubric.
Step 5
Capacity Interviews
March 30 – April 3, 2026
90-minute interviews provide a more comprehensive understanding of the school’s founding team and the school in detail before final decisions are announced. This process supplements the initial application review and influences reviewers’ final scores.
Step 6
Award Notification
April 16, 2026
Schools receive award or decline notifications.
Step 7
Pre-Award + Reimbursement Cycle
March 30 – April 3, 2026
- May 4–8: Funds release meetings, goals and budget review
- June 10: First reimbursement request due
- July 25: First reimbursement dispersed
2026 Application Timeline
Below is an overview of key dates and milestones for the 2026 Great Schools for Nevada CSP application cycle. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review the full timeline and plan ahead to meet all deadlines. Late or incomplete submissions will not be considered.
All dates and times are subject to federal requirements and may be updated if necessary.
The Great Schools for Nevada CSP office hours will take place on January 6, January 20, and February 3, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Please email greatschoolsnvcsp@opportunity180.org to RSVP for office hours.
2026 Application Materials & Links
Applicants must review and submit all required materials as outlined in the Request for Application (RFA). These documents provide detailed guidance on eligibility requirements, application components, scoring criteria, and allowable uses of funds.
Applicants should carefully review all materials prior to beginning the application and use the provided templates where required.
Technical Assistance for 2026 Applicants
Charter School Program (CSP) grant-funded technical assistance is provided to subgrantees on timely topics throughout their grant terms. Anyone may access the resources and recordings of past technical assistance offerings below.
| wdt_ID | wdt_created_by | wdt_created_at | wdt_last_edited_by | wdt_last_edited_at | TA Category | Date | Session Title | Provider | Links |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:17 PM | jrosen | 18/12/2025 10:04 AM | Academics | 01/03/2025 | Academic Model Professional Learning Series | Instruction Partners | - Materials and Guide |
| 2 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:26 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 04:02 PM | Board Governance | Charter School Board Governance Training | Education Board Partners | - Deck - Recording |
|
| 3 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:36 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:44 PM | Board Governance | 02/08/2023 | Committee Structure for Charter School Boards | BoardOnTrack | - Deck - Recording |
| 4 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:45 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:45 PM | Charter Leader Convening | 01/11/2024 | Charter Leader Convening | Opportunity 180 | - Participant Guide - Deck |
| 5 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:46 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:46 PM | Charter Leader Convening | 02/09/2023 | Charter Leader Convening | Opportunity 180 | - 2023 Charter Leader Convening |
| 6 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:48 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:48 PM | Grant Management | 02/09/2023 | CSP Technical Assistance Continuation Award Training | Opportunity 180 | - Deck - Recording |
| 7 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:50 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:50 PM | Grant Management | 02/09/2023 | Basecamp Reimbursement Training | Opportunity 180 | - Deck - Recording |
| 8 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:51 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:57 PM | Recruitment / Enrollment | 02/01/2023 | Enrollment Playbook | Lyman Miller – Bloomwell Group | - Recording |
| 9 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:52 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:57 PM | Recruitment / Enrollment | 02/01/2023 | Recruiting and Marketing Session | Lyman Miller – Bloomwell Group | - Deck - Recording |
| 10 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:54 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:54 PM | School Operations | 01/05/2023 | SchoolOps Community of Practice | SchoolOps | - Flier - Resources - Deck |
| 11 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:55 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:55 PM | Transportation | 01/05/2023 | Implementation Workshop | 4MATIV | - Deck - Recording |
| 12 | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:56 PM | jrosen | 16/12/2025 03:56 PM | Transportation | 07/06/2023 | Transportation Application | 4MATIV | - Deck - Recording |
