On February 20, 2024, Communities In Schools of Nevada (CIS of Nevada) hosted a brief ceremony at J.D. Smith Middle School to mark the occasion of being awarded a Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) five-year $11,852,258 grant from the United States Department of Education. This award was celebrated in partnership with other nonprofits that will receive a portion of the funding. Headlining the event were Senator Catherine Cortez Masto and Rep. Dina Titus.
CIS of Nevada was the only Nevada-based organization awarded a portion of the $74 million in Federal funds and was among 30 national recipients from an application pool of 239.
The grant will enhance collaborative efforts across dozens of community organizations to provide critical services to six schools and their surrounding communities in three school districts. CIS will serve as the acting fiscal agent, allocating over 60 percent of funding to its partners. With ongoing challenges in chronic absenteeism, increased behavior incidents on school campuses, and stalled achievement in math and reading, all exacerbated by the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis, this investment from the Biden-Harris administration is timely to meet students’ urgent needs.
The FSCS grant supports educational agencies, nonprofits, and other public or private organizations and their unique missions to improve achievement and different outcomes for students through four pillars:
1) integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning through partnerships with social and health service agencies and providers;
2) expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities;
3) active family and community engagement; and
4) collaborative leadership and practices.
This FSCS grant will support students, families and educators at:
- J.D. Smith Middle School and Rancho High School in the Clark County School District by bringing key partners on campus, including Boys & Girls Club of Southern Nevada, Boys Town Nevada, Fulfillment Fund Las Vegas, The Harbor with the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services, Nevada State University, and Workforce Connections.
- Northside Elementary School and Flag View Intermediate School in the Elko County School District in partnership with Boys & Girls Club of Elko and Headstart of Northeastern Nevada.
- In the Humboldt County School District, the grant will support Grass Valley Elementary School and French Ford Middle School in partnership with Boys & Girls Club of Winnemucca.
CIS of Nevada will contribute an additional $1.5 million to support the overall project, or about 13% of the project cost, bringing the total investment to just over $13 million with 87% of the project financed with federal funds.
The grant was secured in partnership with Nevada GrantLab and its expert partners. Nevada GrantLab is a nonprofit organization that aims to help nonprofits, local governments, and State agencies better access and maximize historically underutilized federal funding that can be used to build greater quality of life and opportunity for all Nevadans.
“Receiving a federal grant valued at more than $11.8 million will transform the lives of many students and families across Nevada over the next five years,” said Tami Hance-Lehr, CEO and state director, Communities In Schools of Nevada. “This investment from the United States Department of Education couldn’t come at a better time as we continue to expand and develop new ways to meet the growing needs of students across our great state.”
“When I fight for funding for our schools in the Senate, I’m focused on making sure that federal money is coming back here to Nevada to help our kids thrive,” said Senator Cortez Masto. “I’m proud to help announce this funding which will deliver critical services to thousands of Nevada students, both inside and outside the classroom. I’ll keep working to ensure our state gets its fair share of support and our kids have the opportunities they need to succeed.”
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