Advanced Course Access (ACA) Program

The RFP will be posted to P-12 Funding Opportunities

Purpose of grant: To increase equity in access to advanced courses, including Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and dual-credit courses, for high school students who currently have very limited or no access to advanced courses, through virtual instruction, blended instruction, or other evidence-based learning methods.

Project Period: The grant period is for two years, from September 1, 2025, to August 31, 2027. A budget for Year One must be submitted with this application, together with a two-year budget narrative. Funding beyond Year One will be contingent upon the State Legislature appropriating funds, satisfactory performance in the previous year, and timely receipt of the annual report.

Eligible Applicants: Boards of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES)-led consortia and the Big 5 public school districts (New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo).

• BOCES-led consortia must include, at minimum, one BOCES and six (6) Rest of State (RoS) districts.
  • If more than one BOCES is part of a consortium, one BOCES must lead the consortium. The non-lead BOCES would not count as one of the required six (6) Rest of State districts.
• Non-BOCES Component school districts are eligible to join a BOCES-led consortium.
  • BOCES-led consortia may include any RoS districts, including non-component districts and districts that are components of other BOCES.
  • Any district can only participate in one consortium.
  • Big 4 School Districts may submit individual proposals or join BOCES-led consortia, but the BOCES must be the lead applicant.

Available Funding and Distribution: $1,500,000 per year will be awarded. The maximum annual award amount is $500,000. Funding after Year One is contingent upon the State Legislature appropriating funds, satisfactory performance in the previous year, and timely receipt of the annual report. Please see the Funding and Awards Section of this RFP for additional information.

M/WBE Requirement: Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise (M/WBE) Participation Goals Pursuant to Article 15-A of the New York State Executive Law for this grant is thirty percent (30%) of each applicant’s total discretionary non-personal service budget each year of the grant. See the M/WBE Participation Goals section and Attachment IV for further information and forms for completion.

Application Due Date and Submission Instructions: Applicants are requested to submit their application electronically. The required documents, as listed in the Application Checklist section of this RFP, must be received via online form no later than June 13, 2025. Applications are due by 5:00 PM Eastern Time.

Applicants must also mail in one original and two copies of the signed FS-10 budget. These materials must be postmarked by the application deadline. Any proposal(s) postmarked after June 13, 2025, will be disqualified.

Mailing address for the FS-10:

New York State Education Department
Office of Educational Design & Technology
89 Washington Avenue Room 860 EBA
Albany, NY 12234
Attn: Catherine Coons

Questions and Answers: Questions regarding the request must be submitted via online form no later than the close of business May 9, 2025. A Question-and-Answer Summary will be posted to NYSED’s Grants website no later than May 23, 2025.