Frequen​tly Asked Questions​

Email RA-EDPAsmart@pa.gov with questions about the Advancing Grant. PDE will periodically post responses to questions by updating the Answers to FAQs for Advancing Grants below.

​As of February 2022, Targeted Grants are not open for application. Any updates will be posted on this page and at education.pa.gov/PAsmart.

As part of the innovative PAsmart initiative, Targeted Grants help meet the needs of local education agencies (LEAs) and schools with few to no offerings in computer science (CS) and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). LEAs that did not receive Targeted Grant funding in 2018-19 can apply for funding to provide educators with high-quality professional learning to expand access to CS and STEM in their schools. Targeted Grants also provide for participating LEAs to develop a comprehensive planning tool for computer science education.

There are two competitive grant programs within the PAsmart Expanding Computer Science and STEM Education Initiative: Targeted Grants, and Advancing Grants.

Targeted Grants are structured to meet the needs of local education agencies (LEAs) and their schools that have few or no CS offerings and did not receive Targeted Grant funding in 2018-2019. The purpose of these grants is to build educator capacity and expand student access, opportunity, and inclusion in computer science from pre-kindergarten through grade 12. These grants have a low-risk entry point for applicants and aim to help schools build the infrastructure to establish strong CS & STEM pathways.

For Targeted Grants, the eligible applicants are limited to LEAs, the award amounts are more limited than for Advancing Grants, and there is structured support throughout the grant activity period to provide professional learning to grant recipients.

Each eligible LEA may receive a maximum Targeted Grant award of $35,000.

Any local education agency (school district, career and technology center, charter school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit) that did not receive a PAsmart Targeted Grant in fiscal year 2018-2019 in Pennsylvania is eligible to apply for a 2019-2020 PAsmart Targeted Grant.

Only one application will be accepted from each LEA. The application may include educators from more than one school within the LEA.

Take a look at some of the answers to our most frequently asked questions in regard to the budget section below. Reminder: all amounts entered in the Budget need to be in whole dollars.

Section 4 – Salaries: Only salaries for teacher stipends and substitute teacher costs should be entered in this section.

Section 5 – Benefits: Only benefits for teacher stipends and substitute teacher costs should be entered in this section.

Section 6 - Purchased Services: Expenses for contractors providing training and/or professional development should be entered in this section.

Section 7 - Travel Expenses: All expenses for travel should be entered in this section (lodging, meals, mileage).

Section 8 – Supplies: All expenses for supplies and materials with an individual unit cost of $1,500 and under should be entered in this section.  * Software, regardless of cost, should also be entered in this section*

Section 9 – Equipment: All expenses for materials and equipment with an individual unit cost of more than $1,500 should be entered in this section.

Find more information and an application template under the Resources section of the PAsmart website.

Yes; for all 2019-20 PAsmart Expanding Computer Science and STEM Education Grants, applications must be submitted through eGrants in order to be considered.

As part of the innovative PAsmart initiative, Advancing Grants support broad, cross-sector partnerships that use ecosystem and networked approaches to advance efforts to:

• Expand access to computer science (CS) / science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and promote inclusion (especially for historically underserved students and communities) through learning experiences such as integrative CS/STEM experiences, standalone CS/STEM courses, out-of-school learning, dual enrollment, industry credentials, work-based learning, internships, and apprenticeships, and

• Expand and diversify the number of CS/STEM educators at all education levels.

There are two competitive grant programs within the PAsmart Expanding Computer Science and STEM Education Initiative: Targeted Grants, and Advancing Grants.

Advancing Grants support partnerships that operate on a larger scale than Targeted Grants, and provide quality CS/STEM experiences to learners of any age—early childhood, preK-12, postsecondary, and adult learners—as part of a high-level strategic approach to CS/STEM workforce readiness. The purpose of these grants is to:

• Give regions a chance to leverage or expand CS/STEM ecosystems;

• Grow partnerships between LEAs, postsecondary institutions, businesses, libraries, afterschool organizations, and other CS/STEM-focused organizations;

• Improve access to CS/STEM experiences for learners of all ages, including historically underserved populations and adult learners; and

• Expand the pool of highly qualified CS/STEM educators at all levels of Pennsylvania's education system.

Eligible applicants may request up to $500,000.

This PAsmart Advancing Grant eligibility chart provides information on who can be a lead applicant, fiscal agent, partner, and more.

No. Eligible proposals must represent a partnership and must have an eligible lead applicant and an eligible fiscal agent. Lead applicants are encouraged to partner with multiple entities.

Take a look at some of the answers to our most frequently asked questions in regard to the budget section below. Reminder: all amounts entered in the Budget need to be in whole dollars.

Section 6 – Salaries: Only salaries for teacher stipends and substitute teacher costs should be entered in this section.

Section 7 – Benefits: Only benefits for teacher stipends and substitute teacher costs should be entered in this section.

Section 8 - Contracted Services: Expenses for contractors providing training and/or professional development should be entered in this section.

Section 9 – Purchased Property Services: Expenses for property rentals*, equipment rentals* and repairs/maintenance should be entered in this section. *Grant funding cannot be used for rentals beyond June of 2021.

Section 10 – Other Purchased Services: Expenses for student transportation (Function 2700 only), travel costs (meals, lodging, mileage), telephone, postage, and printing.

Section 11 – Supplies: All expenses for materials/resources with an individual unit cost of $1,500 and under should be entered in this section.  Software, regardless of cost, should also be entered in this section.

Section 12 – Equipment:  All expenses for materials/resources with an individual unit cost of more than $1,500 should be entered in this section.

Section 13 – Administrative Costs: Administrative costs should only be entered in this section. Administrative costs cannot exceed 5% of the total grant award.  *Please note: indirect cost rates are not able to be applied to this grant.

To expedite the contracting process, proposal submission is limited to those entities that have access to eGrants:

• LEAs (school districts, charter schools, cyber charter schools, career and technical centers (CTCs), and Intermediate Units (IUs);

• Postsecondary institutions; and

• Public libraries.

Organizations not listed above are welcomed and encouraged to initiate a proposal and serve as lead applicant. They will then need to collaborate with one of the organizations above in order to submit the application.

Yes; for all 2021-22 PAsmart Expanding Computer Science and STEM Education Grants, applications must be submitted through eGrants in order to be considered.