On Tuesday July 24, at 11:59 pm, Central Contractor Registration (CCR) stopped accepting data, including requests for new registrations. The System for Awards Management (SAM) began accepting data on July 30, 2012. This shutdown of CCR and start-up of SAM will have no bearing on the capacity of any entity that was properly registered in CCR on Tuesday July 24, 2012 from electronically filing its grant application under the Charter School Exemplary Collaboration Awards by 4:30:00 pm on August 29, 2012. However, an applicant that was not properly registered in CCR as of Tuesday July 24 or had difficulties accessing and registering in SAM last week may not be able to file electronically by the competition due date. In light of these circumstances, we are waiving the requirement for electronic submission in this competition for those applicants, and only those applicants, that are not registered in CCR on the date on which their applications are due. This waiver will be applied in the following manner:

1. All applicants must meet the submission deadline as described in the Notice Inviting Applications (NIA). No late applications will be accepted unless the conditions specified in the NIA apply.

2. Applicants currently registered in CCR must file electronically, unless they have received a waiver of the electronic filing requirement for other reasons.

3. Allow applicants that contact the department saying that they are/were unable to file electronically because of the CCR shutdown an opportunity to file by hand-delivery, mail or email.

   1. For applicants who wish to email the application. The application must be in PDF format and include all files necessary for a complete application. They must submit the narrative and all required supporting documents. The application must be complete by the original submission deadline. . Files should be named as follows: CDFA#_applicantname_file#of#.pdf. The e-mail to which the application is being sent needs to be sent to the following e-mail address: charterschools@ed.gov.

   2. For applicants who wish to send the application by mail, FED EX or USPS, they should follow the submission instructions as described in the program’s NIA.

   3. Applicants, if they have not already, should contact the Grants.gov Support Desk to record their issue and keep record of the Grants.gov case number assigned at the time of the call. This case number should be provided to the program office staff. PO staff should then send the case number, applicant name and any other pertinent data, such as the DUNS number, provided by the applicant to OCIO/Khriss Howard. OCIO will request the case notes from Grants.gov and send them back to the PO to confirm the details regarding the CCR/SAM registration issue.

4. The Department will confirm that an applicant seeking to take advantage of this waiver is not registered in CCR. Any applicant who notified the Department of its need for a waiver, but is in fact registered in CCR, will, unless they have received a waiver for an electronic waiver requested for another reason, have to file electronically through grants.gov.

Welcome to the web pages of the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Charter Schools Program (CSP), where those interested in charter schools can find support and information. The federal legislation authorizing our work grew from the desire of many Americans to offer parents and their children more choices among public schools and to give all students the opportunity to reach high academic standards.

Toward those ends, CSP provides money to create new high-quality public charter schools, as well to disseminate information about ones with a proven track record. Federal funds are also available to replicate and expand successful schools, help charter schools find suitable facilities, and pay for national activities and initiatives that support charter schools. Collectively we hope these efforts will increase public understanding of what charter schools can contribute to American education. We encourage you to browse our pages, click on links, and absorb all you can about best charter school practices.

• Grants. CSP awards and administers seven grant competitions intended specifically for the charter school community. To find general information about these grants and who is eligible to apply, click here. For more specific information about where to apply for CSP grants, as well as to learn about other non-CSP grants for which charter schools are eligible, click here.

• Resources. The CSP funds many entities and organizations that provide rich and varied resources. These include the National Charter School Resource Center, the “go to” place for information on everything from sound authorizing principles to professional development for charter school teachers. For a list of other charter school resources, including all that we fund plus some that we don't fund, click here.

Meet our director and staff of ten, who review applications, administer the grants, provide technical assistance, and oversee a range of charter school projects.