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LASO 2026-2027 Cycle 5 Grant - Learning Acceleration Support Opportunities Due Dec 1, 2026
GRANTS MANAGEMENT
8/31/2026
Superintendents, watch your email on September 23! Superintendents will receive the link to apply for LASO Cycle 5, which is a bundled application for multiple grant funding opportunities. Like the previous LASO grant, charter districts will be able to pick and choose which of the grants within the bundle they want. UNLIKE federal formula grants, LASO Cycle 5 will be discretionary and competitive. There is no guarantee you will be selected; however, charter districts who are identified for school improvement support under federal ratings (comprehensive, targeted, additional targeted) will have priority access to some of the grants within LASO. And be reminded that Title I School Improvement (federal) grant funds have been moved into LASO! Yes, friends, LASO is like a chunky pie, and we’re all trying to get a piece! Read on for more information!
No time to understand LASO? The inSchools State and Federal Programs Team will assist our partner schools with planning and preparation of the LASO Cycle 5 grant to ensure understanding of program requirements.
Where is the application?
Each superintendent, as listed in AskTED, will receive a unique link to a Qualtrics survey that will be emailed on September 23, 2026. Be sure to bookmark YOUR charter school’s unique link. The first part of applying will be responding to the Qualtrics survey by December 1, 2026. TEA will then determine who will be selected, and the second phase of the application will be completed in eGrants by April 8, 2027. LASO will be awarded in late May for an early start on the 2027-2028 school year.
What initiatives are included?
When you review the grant projects in LASO, there will be some familiar initiatives along with new ones. For the sake of brevity, CSS is not listing all of the initiatives here. The LASO 5 Website lists the programs included in the grant and the number of awards that will be given (some activities as few as 10 in the state, and some up to 350).
In order to determine which initiatives are for you, please go to the LASO Grant Best Fit Guidance where you can find information about each initiative. The best course of action is to watch the LASO Overview from the Sept 14 & 18 trainings and then dive deeper into the initiatives for which you are interested, eligible, and have a need.
Trainings for each initiative will be held between Oct 7 and 28 , and you can register on the LASO 5 Website.
Am I eligible for all the grants in LASO?
Likely not. The following grants will only be available to schools identified for support under Federal ratings for 2026 (Title I School Improvement):
Leadership & Instructional Foundations for Texas (LIFT)
LIFT School Improvement Accelerator (formerly LIFT SI PLC)
School Improvement Curriculum & Instruction Grant (SI CISG)
In addition, some grants are for certain grade levels. See the “Eligibility” section on the LASO Eligibility & Prioritization Matrix .
Other LASO Resources
LASO FAQ document to be posted on LASO 5 Webpage after Sept 23.
Sample copy of LASO application to be posted on the LASO 5 Webpage after September 23.
Direct questions to LASO@tea.texas.gov
Remember, the grant part 1 is due 12/1/26. Part 1 will simply notify TEA which parts of LASO for which you are going to apply. Please be aware that after part 2 in eGrants is submitted this spring, you cannot back out of the grant. Possible consequences for failure to meet grant obligations include an increase in your federal risk level. Like many grants of late, you will be required to use TEA-approved vendors and curriculum. Lasty, although the application begins this fall, many of the initiatives will not start until 2027-28.