Annual Bidders' Conferences

The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce hosts annual bidders' conferences to allow eligible applicants to learn more about the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) grant opportunity. This competitive grant provides quality after-school and summer learning programs – with an option for before-school programming - primarily for children of high poverty and low academic achievement. The programs focus on reading, mathematics, positive youth development, and parent and family engagement. Children participate in a wide array of enrichment activities in areas such as sports, science, technology, and arts and crafts.

Bidders' conference sessions are designed to give interested applicants the chance to ask questions regarding grant requirements, service expectations, and the application process. Eligible applicants include public and private school districts, county educational service centers, community and faith-based organizations, and businesses. Priority for funding is given to qualifying programs that serve small town or rural districts.  Funds are awarded to high-quality programs for up to five years.

Dates and Registration

Register here to receive sign-in information for the Fiscal Year 2025 events below. All registrants will receive the Request for Application (RFA) document for review prior to the sessions.

Question & Answer session

Date: Feb. 20, 2024
Location:  Microsoft Teams Webinar (Virtual)
Time: 9 – 11 a.m.
Details: This session provides potential applicants the opportunity to ask questions in an open office hours format. Per the competitive grant process, once the application period begins, specific programmatic questions cannot be addressed.
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions from the Bidders' Conference and Q&A Session are available here.

FY25 21st Century Grant Competition

• Download the FY25 Request for Application.

All applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 5, 2024. ​

Applying for a 21st CCLC grant is an online process through the Department’s Comprehensive Continuous Improvement Planning (CCIP) system. Our office will hold an online training session on March 12, 2024 to provide assistance in using the CCIP to submit a 21st CCLC application (register for that training here).

Please use the job aid link below to guide you through the process: https://ccip.ode.state.oh.us/DocumentLibrary/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentKey=91216.

Please review the "getting started" section below (more details are included in the annual RFA documents).

Information for Potential Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers Applicants

Getting Started

All organizations participating in this program for the first time need to take these initial steps:

1. Obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN), which is assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).  
2. Establish a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) - the Federal Service Desk provides assistance with SAM.gov.
3. Establish an OH|ID account by clicking the "login" link at the top of any page on the ODE Web site. Each individual who will be submitting or accessing secure information in the ODE systems must have an OH|ID in place.
4. Set up an Internal Retrieval Number (IRN), which is a unique number assigned to each organization that is doing business with the Ohio Department of Education (ODE). 
5. Enter the UEI into OEDS to associate the number with the applicant's organization.
6. Next steps are provided through the OhioPays website in the following instructions and forms:
   • Registration Process
   • W-9
   • Electronic Funds Transfer

Last Modified: 1/10/2025 9:57:45 AM

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