Grants and Funding
Highlights state and federal initiatives that provide funding and support to expand literacy instruction, coaching, and intervention efforts.California Literacy Home | California's Approach to Literacy & Biliteracy | Standards, Learning Foundations & Frameworks | Instructional Guidance & Materials | Screening & Assessments | Grants & Funding | Professional Learning & Webinars
Grants
- Summary: The 2022–2027 program provides $250 million to local educational agencies (LEAs) to develop school literacy programs, employ and train literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists, and develop and implement interventions for students in need of targeted literacy support. $225 million funds eligible LEAs, and $25 million funds the Sacramento County Office of Education (COE) through the Literacy Coaches and Reading Specialists Educator Training Grant to support those LEAs and to develop and provide professional learning for educators to become literacy coaches and reading and literacy specialists. The 2023–2028 program provides an additional $250 million to LEAs for the same purposes. $248 million will fund eligible LEAs, and $2 million will be allocated to the Sacramento COE. The 2025–2029 program provides an additional $215 million to LEAs for the same purposes. $200 million will fund eligible LEAs, and $15 million fund a COE or consortium of COEs that will serve to provide training for educators to become literacy coaches and provide credentialing opportunities for educators to become reading and literacy and bilingual specialists, working with professional development providers, including, but not limited to, the California Reading and Literature Project, the California Writing Project, and other experts specializing in multilingual education.
- Literacy Campaign Support: Provides funding to elementary school sites to increase the number of literacy coaches and specialists and to develop and implement school literacy programs.
Comprehensive Literacy State Development Grant (2024–2028)
- Summary: This $38 million federal grant funds the California Department of Education (CDE) and three COEs that serve as local literacy lead agencies (LLAs), to leverage and expand existing statewide infrastructure, guidance, and expertise to bring coherence to the system of literacy supports to improve student outcomes over a period of five years.
- Literacy Campaign Support: Two LLAs focus on supports for birth through grade three.
Reading Instruction and Intervention Grant (2021–2026)
- Summary: This $10 million state grant funds the Contra Costa COE to generate and disseminate professional learning opportunities in the areas of evidenced-based literacy, intensive literacy interventions, and support of students’ executive functioning skills. The professional learning is intended to help teachers be successful in teaching reading and providing needed supports to students struggling to read.
- Literacy Campaign Support: Provides funding for professional learning to help teachers be successful in teaching reading and providing needed supports to students struggling to read.
Funding
Literacy Screening Professional Development Funding
- $40 million one-time funds in fiscal year 2026–27 for LEAs to administer screenings to assess for risk of reading difficulties to support implementation of the requirements of EC Section 53008. (Assembly Bill 126, Section 119 (Chapter 65, Statues of 2026))

- $40 million one-time funds in fiscal year 2025–26 for LEAs to administer screenings to assess for risk of reading difficulties to support implementation of the requirements of EC Section 53008. (Senate Bill 147, Section 14 (Chapter 744, Statutes of 2025))

- $25 million one-time funds in fiscal year 2024-25 for training to administer screenings to assess for risk of reading difficulties using an instrument from the approved list of screeners. (Senate Bill 153, Section 117 (Chapter 38, Statutes of 2024))

Literacy Professional Development Programs
- Assembly Bill 121 appropriates $200 million in funding to be allocated to LEAs from the 2026–27 to the 2029–30 fiscal years. Funding will be made available for the purposes of training certificated and classified staff who provide literacy instruction, or who support any teacher who provides literacy instruction, to pupils in transitional kindergarten through grade five (TK‒5), using PD programs that meet the criteria and guidance approved pursuant to EC Section 33319.6. Funds will be apportioned to LEAs in an equal amount per full-time equivalent certificated staff who teach pupils in grades TK‒5. An LEA may use the apportioned funds to provide PD opportunities using a program from the SBE-approved list, a program not on the list, or an LEA-developed program, provided that the program aligns to the SBE-approved criteria.
In addition, Senate Bill 105, Section 194, provision 130 (Budget Acts of 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025), appropriated $600,000 for allocation to Marin County Office of Education to support the implementation of the requirements of EC Section 33319.6. The funding profile is linked below.
Questions:
California Statewide Literacy Office | statewideliteracycampaign@cde.ca.gov
Last Reviewed: Tuesday, September 1, 2026
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