Grants for Private Schools 2026: Federal and Foundation

The Honest Picture: Most Federal K-12 Money Skips Private Schools

Federal K-12 formula programs pay states and public school districts. The Department of Education's Title IV-A program page (opens in a new tab) lists state educational agencies as the only eligible applicants for its estimated $1.38 billion, and Title I and IDEA work the same way. A private school can't apply for any of that money.

What a private school can do falls into 3 groups:

Our view: a private school that treats federal programs as its main grant strategy will be disappointed. Use equitable services to stretch your instructional budget, use the direct programs for specific needs, and put real fundraising effort into foundations.

Equitable Services: How Title I, IDEA and Title IV-A Reach Private School Students

Equitable services are the main way federal education money touches private schools, and they're often underused because the district runs them. According to 34 CFR 200.62 (opens in a new tab), after timely and meaningful consultation with private school officials, a district must provide Title I services to eligible private school children on an equitable basis. Eligible children live in a participating public school attendance area, whether or not their private school sits in that district, and meet the program's academic need criteria.

The same consultation duty covers more programs. Per the regulation at 34 CFR 299.6 (opens in a new tab), equitable services apply to Title II-A (effective instruction), Title III-A (English learners), Title IV-A (Student Support and Academic Enrichment), Title IV-B (21st Century Community Learning Centers), Migrant Education and Project SERV, and they extend to private school teachers and other staff.

What the rules let the district provide, and what they don't:

For IDEA, the district must hold meetings to develop a services plan for each private school child it serves and make sure a private school representative attends, according to 34 CFR 300.137 (opens in a new tab). The district makes the final decision.

The common mistake: private schools skip consultation meetings, or send someone who doesn't know the school's needs. Consultation is where the services are decided. Put the meetings on the calendar every year, bring student data, and ask in writing for Title II-A teacher training and Title IV-A enrichment as well as Title I. Grantsights' federal grants for K-12 schools guide explains how those programs flow from states to districts.

E-Rate: Internet and Network Discounts for Nonprofit Private Schools

E-Rate is the federal program a private school is most likely to use directly. According to the FCC's E-Rate guide (opens in a new tab), eligible schools receive discounts of 20% to 90% on telecommunications, internet access and internal connections such as Wi-Fi, set by poverty level, with higher discounts possible in rural areas. When requests exceed funds, the highest-poverty applicants are served first.

According to USAC's school and library eligibility page (opens in a new tab), a school must be a nonprofit institutional day or residential school providing elementary or secondary education as defined under state law. For-profit schools and schools with endowments over $50 million aren't eligible.

Practical points for a private school:

• Your discount depends on student poverty data. Private schools that don't run the National School Lunch Program can usually document eligibility another way, but the paperwork is on you. A school with few low-income students should expect a discount near the bottom of the range.
• You must bid it out first. The school posts FCC Form 470, picks the most cost-effective bid with price as the primary factor, then files Form 471.
• It pays vendors, not you. E-Rate reduces what you owe a provider. It won't fund devices for students.

FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program: $300 Million for FY 2026

Security is the federal grant private schools ask about most. According to FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program page (opens in a new tab), FY 2026 made $300 million available: $150 million through the Urban Area track and $150 million through the State track. FEMA announced the FY 2026 awards on September 28, 2026.

The program funds target hardening and other physical security improvements for nonprofits at high risk of terrorist or extremist attack. A school doesn't apply to FEMA. According to FEMA's FY 2025 fact sheet, the State Administrative Agency is the only eligible applicant, and it applies on behalf of eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits as subapplicants. FEMA's application process page (opens in a new tab) adds that the state sets its own subapplication deadline, earlier than the federal one.

What schools underestimate: the state's deadline. Because the state needs time to rank subapplications, its cutoff can fall weeks before FEMA's. Find your State Administrative Agency contact now, before the FY 2027 notice appears, and get your threat or vulnerability assessment done in advance. Grantsights' school safety grants guide and church security grants guide cover the investment justification in more detail.

USDA Community Facilities: Private School Buildings in Rural Towns

USDA Rural Development's Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program (opens in a new tab) lists private schools, alongside libraries and museums, among its examples of eligible educational facilities. It serves rural areas with no more than 20,000 residents, and community-based nonprofits can apply year-round, from October 1 to September 30.

According to USDA, grant assistance is graduated and capped at 75% of eligible project costs for the smallest, lowest-income communities, with priority points for towns of 5,500 or fewer and for communities below 80% of the state's nonmetropolitan median household income. Most of the program's money goes out as low-interest loans of up to 40 years. A rural Christian or parochial school planning a new gym or classroom wing should ask its state Rural Development office whether the project fits, and expect a loan with some grant attached rather than a large grant. Grantsights' USDA Community Facilities guide explains the grant tiers.

Which Foundations Fund Private Schools: What 990-PF Filings Show

Private foundations that report their giving on IRS Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab) are the main grant source for private schools. Every private foundation lists its grants on that form, so its gifts to schools are public.

Grantsights tags those grants by cause. Private schools fall under education, together with public schools, colleges, libraries and scholarship funds, so the counts below describe the whole education pool in each state. These figures come from Grantsights analysis of 990-PF records pulled October 29, 2026, counted by the recipient's state:

Named grants to private schools in those filings, all from tax year 2025:

• The Mart Foundation gave Forsyth Country Day School in Lewisville, North Carolina $750,000 to fund a scholarship program (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Clarence E. Mulford Trust gave Fryeburg Academy in Maine $548,511 for its general fund, campus improvements and curriculum development (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Stover Foundation gave Gardere Community Christian School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana $310,000 to further Christian education (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation gave St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont $200,000 toward a student life and athletics building (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Flathead Association for Catholic Education gave St. Matthew's School in Kalispell, Montana $182,278 for the Catholic education of children (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The Roy and Gwen Steeley Foundation gave Wheeling Country Day School in West Virginia $150,000 for a 2-year dyscalculia pilot (filings (opens in a new tab)).
• The James and Deborah Klein Family Foundation gave Cole Valley Christian Schools in Meridian, Idaho $85,000 for a capital campaign (filings (opens in a new tab)).

Specifically, these gifts of $85,000 to $750,000 run 25 to 200 times the $3,000 to $3,500 state medians, and they paid for 3 things: scholarships, buildings and one defined academic project. That's the pattern to copy. A request for "general support" competes with every other school; a request for a named scholarship fund, a capital project with a budget, or a pilot with an outcome gives a funder something to say yes to.

Notice the Flathead Association for Catholic Education too. Some of the money flowing to religious schools comes from support organizations tied to a school system, and those groups give mainly to their own schools. Find out whether one exists for your diocese, denomination or network before you approach outside funders.

The Grantsights education funder list shows every foundation that reported education grants on its own 990-PF, by state, so a school can spot the ones that already fund private and religious schools nearby rather than only colleges. Foundations whose filings say they accept requests are listed first, with recent recipients, amounts and stated purposes. You can view the preview here free; the full list is $29 and spans every state, while $99 unlocks all cause lists for a year. Both come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

What the Department of Education Doesn't Tell You About Private School Funding

The regulations describe the district's duties. They leave out what actually decides how much a private school gets:

1. The district's allocation follows your students' addresses. Title I equitable services depend on how many eligible children live in participating attendance areas. A school drawing students from several districts has to consult with each one, and a district may not know your students exist unless you tell it.
2. Equipment never becomes yours. Under 34 CFR 200.67, the district keeps title and must remove equipment it no longer needs for the program. Budget your own replacement cycle.
3. Your IRS paperwork must include a nondiscrimination policy. According to IRS guidance in Publication 557 (opens in a new tab), a private school must state a racially nondiscriminatory policy toward students in its governing documents or a board resolution, and publicize its admissions policy, to qualify for exemption. Foundations check exempt status before they pay, so a lapse here blocks every grant.
4. Church-affiliated schools may not have their own letter. A parish school covered by a church's or diocese's exemption may need the central organization's paperwork to satisfy a funder. Sort this out before your first application.

Red Flags That Cost Private Schools Grants

These are the patterns that make funders say no:

• Sending the same letter to a scholarship-only foundation. In most states, the most common purpose line on education grants is a scholarship. Read a funder's purposes on its 990-PF before you write; the how to read a 990-PF guide shows where they are.
• Missing the state NSGP deadline. Schools that wait for FEMA's notice often find the state's cutoff has already passed.
• Treating equitable services as optional. A school that doesn't attend consultation leaves services on the table, and federal rules don't let it claim them later as cash.
• Asking public funders for religious content. Federal services must be secular. Foundations can fund faith-based education if they choose, but federal and many corporate programs can't.
• No plan for the rest of a capital project. Large building gifts, like the ones above, go to campaigns that already show board giving and other commitments.

A 12-Month Funding Calendar for a Private School

For letter structure, see Grantsights' letter of inquiry guide. Family foundations are the most common funders of private schools, and the family foundation grants guide covers how they decide. To check federal programs your school or a partner nonprofit might qualify for, use the Grantsights grant search.

Related Guides for Schools and School Groups

If your school's parent association raises money separately, grants for PTAs and PTOs covers parent-group funding. Schools with competition teams can use grants for robotics teams, and faith-based schools may find more prospects in grants for faith-based organizations. Charter schools are public schools with different rules; see the best grants for charter schools in 2026.

• Grants For Playgrounds
• Grants For Wildlife Rehabilitation

FAQ: Common Questions

Can a private school get federal grants? Rarely as a direct recipient for instruction. Title I, IDEA and Title IV-A go to states and districts, which provide equitable services to private school students. A nonprofit private school can apply directly for E-Rate, FEMA's Nonprofit Security Grant Program through its state, and USDA Community Facilities money in rural areas.

What are equitable services for private schools? Services a public school district must provide to eligible private school students and teachers under Title I, Title II-A, Title III-A, Title IV-A, Title IV-B and IDEA, after consultation. They must be secular, and the district keeps title to equipment.

Can a Christian or Catholic school get grants? Yes. Many foundations fund religious schools, such as the Stover Foundation's $310,000 to Gardere Community Christian School in Baton Rouge. Federal equitable services reach religious school students, but the services must be secular.

Is E-Rate available to private schools? Yes, for nonprofit schools. According to USAC, for-profit schools and schools with endowments over $50 million aren't eligible. Discounts run from 20% to 90%.

How much do foundations give private schools? Median education grants were $3,000 to $3,500 in the 6 smaller states above, while capital and scholarship gifts ran far larger, like the Mart Foundation's $750,000 to Forsyth Country Day School.

Sources

• eCFR: 34 CFR 200.62, Title I services to private school children (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 34 CFR 200.67, Property and equipment for private school children (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 34 CFR 299.6, Equitable services under other ESEA programs (opens in a new tab)
• eCFR: 34 CFR 300.137, IDEA equitable services determined (opens in a new tab)
• U.S. Department of Education: Title IV, Part A (opens in a new tab)
• FCC: E-Rate, Universal Service Program for Schools and Libraries (opens in a new tab)
• USAC: E-Rate school and library eligibility (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA: Nonprofit Security Grant Program (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA: NSGP application process (opens in a new tab)
• FEMA: FY 2025 NSGP fact sheet (opens in a new tab)
• USDA Rural Development: Community Facilities Direct Loan and Grant Program (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: Publication 557 (opens in a new tab)
• IRS: About Form 990-PF (opens in a new tab)
• Foundation filings via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (opens in a new tab)