Potential Changes Cohort 16 21st CCLC RFA

The California Department of Education (CDE) has contracted with REI Systems to develop a “new” grants management system and will be utilizing GovGrants in the place of the After School Support and Information System (ASSIST) for the current Request for Applications (RFA).

All applicants must complete and submit an Intent to Submit an Application (ITSA) to the CDE. Failure to submit this form will result in the applicant being unable to apply for the Cohort 16 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) RFA. The submission deadline is anticipated to be June 2026.

To be timelier with the Grant Award Notifications (GANs), CDE will be moving up the timeline and anticipate the release of the RFA in August 2026 with an October 2026 due date. The Cohort 16 awards will be effective July 1, 2027.

This change in the timeline will impact when the CDE can access the required data for several components of the RFA, including:

• Grant Reductions: We will use the grant reduction data that will be disseminated in Spring of 2026 based off attendance in calendar year 2025.
• Free and Reduced Priced Meal Data: We will acquire this data from FY 25–26 or the most recent data available on the CDE website prior tothe RFA application deadline.

Title 1 status will be acquired from FY 25–26 or the most recent data available on the CDE website prior to the RFA application deadline.

We will be implementing grant reductions. Any 21st CCLC or After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) site/sub-program that is assessed a grant reduction in the Spring of 2026, due to not meeting attendance requirements of the grant in calendar year 2025, will not be granted a priority item for having an expiring program or expanding a grant for the sub-program being reduced (After School Base, Before School Base, After School Supplemental, or Before School Supplemental).

Qualified reviewers will read and score only the application narratives that are listed on the initial Intent to Award.

Instead of six individual assessments, each applicant and co-applicant(s)must complete a 20-question assessment with a score of no less than 75%.