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Great Schools North Carolina provides charter school leaders with strategic funding and collaborative partnerships to expand the number of high-quality public school options available to students furthest from opportunity.

We accomplish this by:

Investing significant financial resources in proven leaders across the state to help scale and improve quality
Alleviating barriers to success through technical assistance and other supports
Building community among leaders committed to increasing student outcomes and serving students who would benefit most from expanded access to school options

Qualifications

GSNC offers:

Two grant opportunities for leaders looking to open a new charter school - Startup Grant and Founder’s Fellowship
One grant opportunity for leaders of existing charter schools - School Quality Cohort

All grant opportunities are open to:

Independent, single-site schools (not affiliated with an EMO or CMO)
In-person school programs (not fully virtual)
Schools serving students whose access to high-quality school experiences has been limited by economic barriers, systemic inequities, or academic needs

Grant Opportunities

For Leaders of New Schools

GSNC offers two opportunities for leaders of new schools - Startup Grant and Founder’s Fellowship. See below for detailed information about the candidate profile and the application process.

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Startup Grant

Startup Grant is for leaders launching their first school or expanding or replicating an existing school, with prior approval from the Charter Schools Review Board (CSRB). This two-year award provides direct funding and technical support for the planning year and year one of the new school. There are two application cycles per year for this grant - one for schools on the CSRB Standard Timeline and another for those on the CSRB Accelerated Timeline.

Additional Qualifications
- Applicant has secured approval of their charter application from CSRB (accelerated or regular track)
- Senior most full-time leader has been identified
Funding
- Up to $250,000 over two years (two disbursements tied to grant award and school opening)
Opportunity Overview
- Ready- to-Open (RTO) Year: Leaders will receive coaching and partnership related to academic and operational needs ahead of school opening. Examples include but are not limited to strategic planning, instructional support, facilities, finance, and hiring.
- Opening: To ensure a smooth transition into the school’s first year of operations, leaders will receive support tailored to opening needs, such as transportation, operations, teacher training, parent engagement, and culture development.

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School Quality Cohort

School Quality Cohort is open to leaders of existing charter schools looking to identify and implement specific levers of change to improve their school’s outcomes. This 18-month award provides established schools the opportunity to engage with other school leaders around shared needs in tandem with school-specific coaching and partnerships.

Additional Qualifications
- School leader has been in place for at least one full school year
- Two years of available state test data
- Rating of D or higher on most recent NC School Report Card
- Met or exceeded growth on most recent NC School Report Card
Funding
- Up to $150,000 in total resources per school
Opportunity Overview
- Months 1-6: Cohort will create a strong community of practice through group learning and experiences; resources and coaching will focus on foundational levers of change.
- Months 7-12: Leaders will engage in coaching and partnerships tailored to specific needs for their school model.
- Months 13-18: Leaders will have support and resources for the implementation of action plans and best practices developed during the cohort experience.

Founder’s Fellowship

Funding
- Up to $50,000 in indirect funding per school leader with the opportunity for follow-on funding upon charter application approval
Opportunity Overview
- Technical assistance to prepare charter application including school model design, budget & financials, and community engagement strategy
- Support navigating the state approval and interview process

Founder’s Fellowship is for leaders with an idea for opening a school, but who have not yet submitted an application for approval to CSRB. This award provides technical support to help you write and submit a competitive application for approval. There are three application cycles per year for this grant.

Strong Candidates are:
- School-launch Ready Leaders with proven experience in charter or district school leadership and/or demonstrated success leading complex organizations and & teams in other sectors, have demonstrated “staying power” in their prior roles with a natural progression of increased leadership responsibility and building influence over time, and have clear evidence of delivering meaningful results.
- Equity-Driven Visionaries who believe that all students are capable of learning and succeeding at high levels, committed to dismantling systemic barriers to access and creating inclusive schools that serve all students, especially those who are furthest from the opportunity.
- Community-Centered individuals with strong ties to North Carolina or a commitment to building deep roots in the state, who can communicate effectively and culturally responsively with the communities they intend to serve, and are dedicated to developing trusting, authentic relationships with students and families.
Who Should Apply? The senior-most full-time leader of the proposed school must complete the application. If you are a founding board that has not yet identified a leader, we will be happy to accept your application once you have done so.
Application Process: We have a three-step application process designed to help us get to know each other:
- Application – Complete an initial four-part application to assess your leadership experience and school design vision.
- Selection – If selected to advance, you'll complete four design tasks and participate in up to two virtual interviews with two leaders from our team.
- Decision – We will determine whether to move forward in partnership with you and provide feedback on our decision, regardless of the outcome.