HELENA – Superintendent Arntzen is encouraging schools to apply for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) Stronger Connections Grant Program through Montana’s digital Egrants system. The application window opened on March 27, 2023 and will close on May 1, 2023. The federal congressional BSCA awarded the Office of Public Instruction (OPI) $4.8 million in additional funding for Title IV, Part A of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). This one-time funding is in addition to the federal Title IV, Part A funding already allocated to the Montana OPI. Title IV Part A is also known as Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE). The SSAE program is intended to improve students’ academic achievement by increasing the capacity of state educational agencies (SEAs), local educational agencies (LEAs), and local communities to provide all students with:

- Access to a well-rounded education

- Improve school conditions for student learning, safe and healthy students

- Effective use of technology to improve the academic achievement and digital literacy of all students

“Student safety leads to academic success,” said Superintendent Elsie Arntzen. “My top initiative, Montana Hope, prioritizes family and community engagement to support student mental health and safety. These federal grant dollars will help our schools and parents cultivate safe and supportive classrooms that put Montana students first.”

The Stronger Connections Grant aims to provide funding for high-needs Montana schools to develop, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive approach that prioritizes physical and emotional safety for their school community. The competitive subgrant is open until May 1, 2023, at 4:00 PM. Schools will have the opportunity to apply for a minimum of $10,000 and a total of $175,000 per year for two years. Notification of awards will be sent to schools on July 1. The grant process can be viewed here.

For more information contact Paige Sedahl at paige.sedahl@mt.gov or OPIStronger@mt.gov.