As National Charter Schools Week 2025 draws to a close, U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon delivered significant news for the charter school sector Friday.
Secretary McMahon announced a $60 million increase in funding for the Charter Schools Program (CSP) for Fiscal Year 2025, bringing the program’s total budget to an impressive $500 million.
The Secretary made the announcement, emphasizing the Trump Administration’s commitment to educational choice and high-quality options for students and families.
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Alongside the funding boost, McMahon unveiled a new grant opportunity under the CSP umbrella: the Model Development and Dissemination Grant Program. This initiative aims to identify, showcase, and share successful strategies and best practices employed by innovative charter schools across the nation.
“In celebrating the pivotal role that charter schools play to deliver high-quality options for students and families, I’m excited to share that the Trump Administration is making historic investments in the Charter Schools Program,” stated McMahon. “Not only are we proposing a future $60 million increase in the program budget, but we are also dedicating an additional $60 million in this year’s funding. With more dollars going toward education choice and a new grant opportunity to help highlight best practices, we hope to pave the way for more choices, better outcomes, and life-changing opportunities for students and families.”
In addition to the increased funding and the new Model Development and Dissemination Grant Program, the Department of Education has also released Notices Inviting Applications for five other 2025 competitions under the CSP.
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These include programs focused on State Entities, State Facilities Incentive Grants, Credit Enhancement, Charter Management Organizations, and Charter School Developers. This comprehensive approach signals a broad commitment to supporting the growth and development of charter schools across various facets of their operations.
The Department of Education also highlighted several other actions taken under President Trump’s leadership to support charter schools, including:
- Withdrawing two Notices Inviting Application (NIA) for charter school programs issued at the end of the Biden Administration, which were deemed burdensome and misaligned.
- Releasing $33 million in grant funding for Charter Management Organizations from last year’s Charter School Program competition.
- Reining in what the Department described as the federal government’s micromanagement of state Charter School Program grant awards, allowing for greater state autonomy.
- Publishing the full suite of six Charter Schools Program grant competitions for the current year.
These announcements mark a significant investment in the charter school movement and underscore the administration’s belief in school choice’s power to improve students’ educational outcomes nationwide.
The new grant program, in particular, holds the potential to foster greater collaboration and the spread of effective practices within the charter school community.
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