Editor's note: This article was published as part of our April 2013 report on "23 things you need to know about charter schools."
Competition for grants, loans, and bond financing among charter schools is heating up, so make your clients aware of these potential sources recommended by experts we consulted for our charter schools report:
1. Opportunity Finance Network (www.opportunityfinance.net), a national network of community development financial institutions, known as CDFIs.
2. Charter School Development Corporation (www.csdc.org), a CDFI with a focus on charter schools that serve predominately low-income students and communities with poorly performing public schools.
3. Partners for the Common Good (www.pcgloanfund.org), a nonprofit community investment corporation.
4. The Reinvestment Fund (www.trfund.com), which finances charter schools in the Mid-Atlantic states.
5. Local Initiatives Support Corp. (www.lisc.org), a nonprofit group that supports charters serving low-income neighborhoods.
6. State and local finance funds, such as the Illinois Finance Fund (www.iff.org). In Los Angeles, where 12% of public school children attend charters, the Los Angeles Unified School District has allocated $30 million from Proposition 39 bonds to “augment” up to 35% of the cost of a qualifying charter construction plan. So far, three projects have been approved.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
PBK, DLR Group among nation's largest K-12 school design firms, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 75 K-12 School Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
New AIA report on embassies: integrate security and design excellence
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) released a new report to help the State Department design and build 21st Century embassies.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
