BOISE – The Idaho Career Ready Students (ICRS) council recently voted to open the application process for local education agencies to apply for microgrants of up to $50,000 to fund career technical education (CTE) efforts this 2025 – 2026 school year.
ICRS grants are designed to reduce reliance on federal funds for CTE programming. To date, the council has funded 72 grants, totaling $62.9 million. Of that $62.9 million, 50 percent, or $31.6 million, has been paid out to districts in every region of the state. ICRS funding determinations are made by an 11-member council that considers factors such as partnership with local industry, sustainability of the proposed program, and responsiveness to community and statewide workforce needs.
Thanks in part to a conservative budget approach and responsible program oversight, up to $1 million in additional funding has been identified to support this round of micro-grant awards.
“This program has already done so much for our students by connecting them to learning that interests them and gives them a jumpstart on their futures,” said Superintendent of Public Instruction Debbie Critchfield. “Our students deserve preparation for life beyond our classroom walls, and these grants open those doors for them.”
The application period opens today and closes October 17 at 6:00 pm (MST). Districts and charter schools in Idaho interested in applying can do so here. Preference will be given to local education agencies that have not previously received an ICRS grant. Grant requests to support the establishment of new or expansion of existing middle school CTE programs are encouraged. Districts and charters that have received a grant may apply for a micro-grant to fund programming for a school or building within their boundaries that did not previously receive funding. Districts and charters that previously received $50,000 or less may apply for a grant for the same school or new building project. These will be evaluated after applications for new funding have been considered.
To be eligible for this round of funding, grant proposals must demonstrate alignment with the goals of the ICRS program:
- Capital investments for in-demand and highly skilled careers in the trades: welding, fabrication, machining, agriculture, forestry, mining, nursing and cybersecurity
- For rural schools, support to develop programs that align with the priorities of rural communities, industry needs, and partnerships
- For urban schools, the demonstration of how the award will increase capacity for students to access high-quality CTE programming
- Innovation in addressing regional and community needs and in addressing the challenges local school districts and charter schools encounter when accessing resources to sustain high-quality career technical programming
To learn more about eligible expenses for this round of micro-grant funding opportunities or to access the application, visit the Idaho Career Ready Students webpage on the Idaho Department of Education website at https://www.sde.idaho.gov/search.html.
2025-09-06 08:22:00