Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Native Hawaiian Education Program CFDA Number 84.362A | ED GRANTS 052417 001

Opportunity Information: Apply for ED GRANTS 052417 001

The Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE) Native Hawaiian Education (NHE) Program, CFDA 84.362A, is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Education designed to strengthen education for Native Hawaiian children and adults through innovative, community-responsive projects. The central goal of the program is to improve and expand educational services for Native Hawaiians, as defined in the official notice, by funding efforts that introduce new approaches or strengthen existing ones in ways that are culturally and linguistically relevant. The program is grounded in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA) as reauthorized by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and it supports projects that align with the authorized activities listed under section 6205(a)(3) of the ESEA (20 U.S.C. 7515(a)(3)). In plain terms, applicants are expected to propose practical, well-designed education projects that directly benefit Native Hawaiian learners and that fit within the specific activities Congress has authorized for this program.

A key point in the synopsis is that the published description is only a summary and applicants are expected to rely on the official Federal Register application notice for the complete and controlling requirements. That official notice is where the Department details the full eligibility rules, what must be included in an application, how applications will be scored, required performance measures, any competitive priorities, and the program contact information. The synopsis also flags a specific limitation related to facilities: construction of facilities to support Native Hawaiian education programs would only be allowable if Congress specifically authorized using FY 2017 funds for that purpose. That is important because some education initiatives involve space renovation or building costs, but under this competition those costs may not be permitted unless explicitly approved for that fiscal year.

Eligibility is broad but clearly tied to Native Hawaiian education capacity and experience. Eligible applicants include Native Hawaiian educational organizations and Native Hawaiian community-based organizations, as those terms are defined in the notice. It also includes public and private nonprofit organizations, agencies, and institutions that can demonstrate experience developing or operating Native Hawaiian programs or providing instruction in the Native Hawaiian language. Charter schools, as defined in the notice, are also eligible. In addition to single applicants, the program allows consortia, meaning multiple eligible organizations can apply together, particularly among the categories of Native Hawaiian educational organizations, Native Hawaiian community-based organizations, and other qualified nonprofits or agencies with relevant experience. This structure encourages partnerships that combine cultural expertise, instructional capacity, and community reach.

The submission process is fully electronic through Grants.gov. Applicants must locate the application package by searching for CFDA 84.362 (without the "A" suffix) on the Grants.gov Apply site, download the package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit it through the system. The synopsis makes it explicit that applications cannot be submitted by email, which matters for planning because Grants.gov submissions can involve account setup, authorizations, and file validation steps that take time. The opportunity is listed under the education funding activity category, uses the standard grant instrument type, and was managed as a competitive discretionary program. The record included an original closing date of June 23, 2017, and anticipated 31 awards, which gives a general sense of the scale of the competition for that cycle, even though applicants should always confirm dates, funding levels, and award information in the official notice for the specific year they are applying.

Overall, this opportunity is aimed at funding education projects that are designed with Native Hawaiian learners at the center, whether the focus is early learning, K-12 supports, adult education, language revitalization through instruction, culturally grounded curricula, educator development, family and community engagement strategies, or other allowable activities under the statute. The most important practical takeaway is that applicants need to align their proposal tightly to the authorized activities under ESEA as amended by ESSA, verify that their organization fits one of the eligible applicant definitions, and follow the Federal Register notice for the exact application requirements, priorities, and reporting expectations.

• The Department of Education in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE): Native Hawaiian Education Program CFDA Number 84.362A" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 84.362.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-05-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-06-23. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 31 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for ED GRANTS 052417 001

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