Title Funds

Title funds are federal monies that are meant to supplement, not replace, existing state funding for education. Title funds were established by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965 and amended in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015. These funds are released yearly from the federal government; State Educational Agencies (SEAs) and Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) then allocate a percentage to individual schools and districts.

SIG Funds

School Improvement Grants (SIGs), authorized under section 1003(g) of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), are grants to state educational agencies (SEAs) that SEAs use to make competitive subgrants to local educational agencies (LEAs) that demonstrate the greatest need for the funds and the strongest commitment to use the funds to provide adequate resources in order to substantially raise the achievement of students in their lowest-performing schools.

Special Education Part B Funds

Part B of the IDEA contains two sections—Part B, Section 611 contains provisions relating to special education for school-aged children with disabilities (ages 3 through 21), and Part B, Section 619 addresses the supplemental state grants program for preschool children with disabilities (ages 3 through 5). The grant programs authorized under Part B of the IDEA provide federal funding to states and local educational agencies (LEAs) for the provision of special education and related services to children with disabilities. IDEA requires, as a condition for the receipt of such funds, the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) (i.e., specially designed instruction provided at no cost to parents that meets the needs of a child with a disability).

Indiana Finance Authority Lead Testing Funds

The Indiana Finance Authority (“IFA”), with assistance from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, has developed the Lead Sampling Program for Schools and Child Care Facilities (“Lead Sampling Program”) to help schools and child care facilities assess if there is a presence of lead in drinking water within their buildings.

This program is funded in part by the U.S. EPA's Lead Testing in School and Child Care Program Drinking Water Grant authorized under the Water Infrastructure Improvements for the Nation Act and largely follows the U.S. EPA’s 3Ts guidance – Training, Testing, and Taking Action.