Eligible Applicants: To be considered for an award under this competition, an applicant must be one of the following:(1) An LEA in which 20 percent or more of the students served by the local educational agency are from families with an income below the poverty line;1 (An LEA must show that at least 20 percent of children ages five to 17 that reside within the LEA's boundaries are from low-income families based on the most recent LEA poverty estimates provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Census LEA poverty estimates are available at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html.(2) A consortium of such LEAs;(3) A State educational agency;(4) An institution of higher education;(5) A museum or cultural institution;(6) The Bureau of Indian Education;(7) An eligible national nonprofit organization; or(8) Another private agency, institution, or organization.Application Requirement: Applicants that are LEAs must provide, in the application, data from the most recent U.S. Census as evidence that the LEAs meet the statutory requirement that 20 percent or more of the students served by the LEA (or for each LEA within a consortium of LEAs) are from families with an income below the Federal poverty line.Note: Other applicants that are eligible under the definition of an LEA, such as County Offices of Education, Education Service Districts, and Regional Service Education Agencies, must provide the most recent U.S. Census data for each of the individual LEAs served. For charter schools for which U.S. Census data is not available, eligibility will be based on a determination by the SEA, consistent with the manner in which the SEA determines the charter school LEA’s eligibility for the Title I allocations, that 20 percent of the students aged 5-17 in the LEA are from families with incomes below the Federal poverty line. Applicants must submit documentation from the State certifying official verifying that the SEA has determined this eligibility requirement is met for each LEA not listed in the Small Area Income Poverty Estimates (SAIPE) data. Note: If you are a nonprofit organization, under 34 CFR 75.51, you may demonstrate your nonprofit status by providing: (1) proof that the Internal Revenue Service currently recognizes the applicant as an organization to which contributions are tax deductible under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code; (2) a statement from a State taxing body or the State attorney general certifying that the organization is a nonprofit organization operating within the State and that no part of its net earnings may lawfully benefit any private shareholder or individual; (3) a certified copy of the applicant's certificate of incorporation or similar document if it clearly establishes the nonprofit status of the applicant; or (4) any item described above if that item applies to a State or national parent organization, together with a statement by the State or parent organization that the applicant is a local nonprofit affiliate. Note: A faith-based organization is eligible to apply for and receive a grant under this program on the same basis as any other private organization, consistent with Appendix A to 34 CFR part 75.

Asheley McBride or Sharon Burton, U.S. Department of Education 400 Maryland Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20202-6450. Telephone: (202) 453-6398 or (202) 987-1762. Email: AssistanceforArtsEducation@ed.gov.