Through the Spark Opportunity Grant Program, LISC will provide predevelopment grant capital to public charter schools to support development of feasibility plans for their facility projects. LISC will prioritize applicants that seek grant funding to advance a facility project in a designated Opportunity Zone.
Spark Opportunity Grants help charter schools advance the real estate development and financial planning for new facilities. LISC will award $2 million in grants to approximately 40 charter school operators to develop feasibility plans for their facilities projects. Grants will range from $15,000 - $50,000 and can be used for planning and predevelopment activities in furtherance of a strategic plan for a charter school facility. LISC seeks to support schools in both the conceptual planning stage for a future facility and schools in active predevelopment on a site, with the goal of advancing projects toward shovel-ready, viable, financeable projects. Priority will be given to schools that have identified a location in an Opportunity Zone or are considering locating in Opportunity Zones. Recognizing the newness, complexity and potential scale of investment associated with Opportunity Zones, the Spark Opportunity Grant Program supports operators with assessing Opportunity Zone investments as a financing strategy for their facilities project. This program is made possible with financial support from the Walton Family Foundation and program design and implementation support from Pacific Charter School Development.