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• Charter School Facility Finance Landscape PDF-[2MB]
  This link provides access to the first national survey of private and public providers of funding and financing for charter school facilities

• Summaries of State Charter School Facility Laws

• Implementation of the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program: Final Report (2008) examines implementation of the Credit Enhancement for Charter School Facilities Program and documents loan activities facilitated by the program. The program makes grants to eligible public entities to help absorb some of the risk of making loans to charter schools to finance suitable facilities. The study focuses on the nine organizations that received grants in FY 2002 through FY 2004. It draws on information from program applications and annual performance reports; secondary data sources; and discussions with grantees, unsuccessful applicants, charter school facilities lenders, and nine schools assisted by grantees.

• Charter School Facilities: A Resource Guide on Development and Financing This resource guide helps describe how charter schools can find, build, and finance school facilities.

• Building a Foundation for Success: How Authorizers Can Help Schools with the Facility Challenge PDF-[617K] This brief explains how quality charter school authorizing can help charter schools more easily obtain facilities.

• The Finance Gap: Charter Schools and Their Facilities PDF-[1K] (Institute for Education and Social Policy, Steinhardt School of Education, New York University; The Educational Facilities Financing Center of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation; Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Jan 2004) This study examines the facilities experiences of charter schools in 14 states and the District of Columbia, jurisdictions that house 75 percent of the nation's charter schools. The findings substantiate and detail the belief that facilities are the number one hurdle for charter school developers. Researchers conducted over 100 interviews with representatives of public schools, including charter schools and charter school networks; federal, state and local public education officials; representatives of public school advocacy groups, partners, and resource centers; and representatives of the real estate and finance communities. This report documents the shared experiences of charter schools with innovative financing mechanisms, private sector involvement in facilities financing, and the use of instructional revenue for the repayment of debt. It also offers recommendations for public and private sector participants. [Authors' abstract.] 68 pages.

• Charter Schools: New Charter Schools across the Country and in the District of Columbia Face Similar Start-Up Challenges. Report to Congressional Requesters PDF-[317KB] (General Accounting Office, Washington, D.C., Sep 2003) This study analyzed federal and state charter school laws, addressing challenges faced by charter school startups nationwide, state resources available to address these challenges, and how the District of Columbia compares in terms of charter school challenges and resources. The three greatest challenges facing new charter schools were securing a facility, obtaining startup funding, and acquiring the expertise necessary to run a charter school. Challenges facing District schools are similar to those nationwide, although obtaining facilities is particularly difficult in the District due to the cost of real estate and poor conditions of available buildings. To offset this, the District provides charter schools with various forms of assistance. 39 pages. Report NO: GAO-03-899

• The Answer Key: How to Plan, Develop and Finance Your Charter School Facility This publication helps charter schools conceptualize and implement facility projects.

• Debunking the Real Estate Risk of Charter Schools, Kauffman Foundation, 2005 This publication describes the risk of lending to charter schools.

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