AMIM Discretionary Block Grant FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions and answers regarding the Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials (AMIM) Discretionary Block Grant.Funding Calculations and Apportionment of Funds
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How much is available for the AMIM Block Grant?
Section 134 of Assembly Bill (AB) 181 (Chapter 52, Statutes of 2022), as amended by Section 56 of AB 185 (Chapter 571, Statutes of 2022), established the AMIM Block Grant and appropriated $3.56 billion. An additional $73.6 million was appropriated in AB 178 (Chapter 45, Statutes of 2022) for a total available of $3,633,600,000.
Section 102 of Senate Bill 114 (Chapter 48, Statutes of 2023) reduced the program by $200 million, which reduced the total funding available to $3,433,600,000.
Who is eligible to receive AMIM Grant funds?
School districts, county offices of education, charter schools, and state special schools.
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How will the AMIM Grant funding be calculated?
Funds will be apportioned proportionally to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) based on an equal amount per unit of average daily attendance (ADA) for kindergarten and grades one through twelve, as those numbers were reported as of the fiscal year (FY) 2021–22 second principal apportionment. The ADA for each state special school shall be deemed to be 97 percent of the enrollment as reported in the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System as of the FY 2021–22 Fall 1 Submission.
Allocations for eligible LEAs and state special schools are available on the AMIM Grant Funding Results web page available on the Arts, Music & Instructional Materials Block Grant web page.
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When can Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) expect to receive the AMIM Grant funds?
The California Department of Education (CDE) released the first apportionment of funds, reflecting 50 percent of the allocation for each LEA and state special school, in December 2022. The remainder was originally scheduled to be disbursed in May 2023. However, since the proposed 2023-2024 California budget included a potential reduction for this program, the May 2023 allocation was paused until the California Budget Act was passed. In July 2023, SB 114 reduced the AMIM Grant appropriation by $200,000,000. The CDE recalculated LEA allocations based on the reduced funding levels and released a second apportionment in September 2023.
The reallocation does not change the intent of the AMIM Grant, and all expenditures should be consistent with statute. Funding-specific questions may be directed to the Categorical Allocations and Audit Resolution Office at CAAR@cde.ca.gov.
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What is the Standardized Account Code Structure (SACS) code for the AMIM Grant?
SACS Resource Code 6762: Arts, Music, and Instructional Materials Discretionary Block Grant.
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How long do I have to spend the funds?
Funds may be encumbered through the 2025–26 fiscal year.
Use of Funds
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What are the allowable uses of the AMIM Grant funds?
AMIM Grant funds are allocated to LEAs for five purposes enumerated in Section 134(a) of Chapter 2 of the Statutes of 2022, as amended by Section 56 of AB 185, which may be briefly summarized as: (1) obtaining standards-aligned professional development and instructional materials for specified subject areas; (2) obtaining professional development and instructional materials for improving school climate; (3) developing diverse, culturally relevant and multilingual school library book collections; (4) operational costs, including retirement and health care cost increases; and (5) COVID-19-related costs necessary to keep pupils and staff safe and schools open for in-person instruction. Specific information and additional guidance regarding these five purposes is set forth below:
Standards-Aligned Instructional Materials and Professional Development
AMIM Grant funds may be used to acquire standards-aligned instructional materials and professional development in 10 specified subject areas:
- Visual and performing arts
- World languages
- Mathematics
- Science, including environmental literacy
- English language arts, including early literacy
- History–Social Science
- Ethnic Studies
- Financial literacy, including the content specified in Education Code Section 51284.5
- Media literacy
- Computer Science
The links above direct to California Department of Education (CDE) web pages containing standards and various other resources.
For the first six subject areas, the State Board of Education (SBE) adopts standards-aligned basic instructional materials for kindergarten through grade eight (not for grades 9–12). The links below direct the user to the instructional materials web pages dedicated to these content areas, which identify the adopted programs and provide contact information for the publishers.
Pursuant to Education Code Section 60210, an LEA may choose to use instructional materials that have not been adopted by the SBE if they are aligned to state standards. In such a case, the LEA must ensure that a majority of the participants of any review process conducted by the LEA are classroom teachers who are assigned to the subject area or grade level of the materials being reviewed.
For additional information, access the Guidelines for Piloting Textbooks and Instructional Materials and Implementation of Instructional Materials Not Adopted by California available on the Instructional Materials Adoptions web page.Improving School Climate
AMIM Grant funds may be used to obtain instructional materials and professional development aligned to best practices for improving school climate, including training on de-escalation and restorative justice strategies, asset-based pedagogies, antibias, transformative social-emotional learning, media literacy, digital literacy, physical education, and learning through play.
Diverse, Culturally Relevant and Multilingual Libraries
AMIM Grant funds may be used to develop diverse book collections and obtaining culturally relevant texts, in both English and pupils’ home languages, to support pupils’ independent reading. In this regard, AB 185 notes that it is the Legislature’s intent “that these book collections and culturally relevant texts be used to provide support for pupils through the establishment of site-based school and classroom libraries that are culturally relevant to pupils’ home and community experiences and be available in English, pupils’ home language, or a combination of more than one language.”
California teachers and educators are encouraged to seek recommendations from their district or county office of education as they may have criteria for selecting reading materials.
The CDE maintains a list of recommended books in a range of languages. Access the Recommended Literature List web page and search for books using the Recommended Literature List Search tool.
Operational Costs
AMIM Grant funds may be used for “operational costs, including but not limited, to retirement and health care cost increases.”
Costs Related to COVID-19
Finally, AB 185 provides that AMIM Grant funds may be used, as follows:: “As related to the COVID-19 pandemic, acquire personal protective equipment, masks, cleaning supplies, COVID-19 tests, ventilation upgrades, and other similar expenditures, if they are necessary to keep pupils and staff safe from COVID-19 and schools open for in-person instruction.”
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Are there conditions placed on LEAs receiving the AMIM Grant funds?
The governing board or body of each school district, county office of education, or charter school receiving funds pursuant to this section shall discuss and approve a plan for the expenditure of funds received pursuant to this section at a regularly scheduled public meeting. It is the intent of the Legislature that each school district, county office of education, or charter school expend any resources received pursuant to this section consistent with their governing board- or body-approved plan.
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Does a recipient of funds have to submit its local plan for the AMIM Grant Fund to the California Department of Education?
No. The local plan for the AMIM Grant funds needs to be heard in a public meeting of the governing board of the school district, the county board of education, or governing body of the charter school, before its adoption. The bill does not stipulate a date or timeframe when LEAs should present their plans to the appropriate local board. The bill does not require plans to be submitted to or approved by the CDE.
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Is a template available for the plan LEAs are required to develop and adopt delineating how the AMIM Grant funds will be spent?
No. Each LEA should develop its own plan. The CDE does not intend to provide a template for the plan.
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What are the specific allowable “operational costs” or other specific allowable uses within each category (e.g., staff salary, travel and food for attending professional development, etc.)?
CDE is not approving or denying individual LEA requests for allowable expenditures. All expenditures should be consistent with statute. With respect to “operational costs,” the statute specifies that such costs are “including but not limited to, retirement and health care costs increases.” The statute also specifies that the LEA’s governing board or body discuss and approve a plan for grant expenditures at a regularly scheduled public meeting, and that it is the Legislature’s intent that LEAs expend grant funds consistent with the approved plan.