Overview
This playbook walks districts through the complete funding lifecycle using ThinkKits tools. Follow the five phases in order, or jump to the phase you need.
Phase 1: Identify Eligible Funding
Before applying, confirm your school or district qualifies for the funding you want.
Check Purchase Eligibility
Use the Compliance Checker to verify a school qualifies for 8 federal programs: Title I, Title II-A, Title III, Title IV-A, IDEA Part B, E-Rate, ESSER, RLIS/SRSA. Get instant verdicts with regulatory citations.
Qualify a Specific Purchase
Use the Purchase Qualifier (Tools → Purchase Qualify) to check if a specific item — e.g., "K-2 math manipulative kits" — qualifies for federal funds. Enter the item description and target school NCES ID.
Review School Funding Profile
Open any school profile and view the Funding tab. See Title I, IDEA, Title IV-A, E-Rate, and Title III allocations. Check historical funding and per-pupil amounts.
Phase 2: Find Grants
Discover which grant programs your school is eligible for and extract requirements from RFPs.
Use the Grant Finder
Search for a school, open its profile, and use Grant Programs (or /grants/programs API) to list all federal, state, and foundation grants the school qualifies for — with deadlines, amounts, and application links.
Summarize an RFP
When you have a grant RFP or NOFO document, use the Document Summarizer to extract eligibility, deadlines, funding ranges, required documents, and evaluation criteria. Then find matching schools ranked by fit.
Phase 3: Generate Narratives
Create data-driven grant narratives with school-specific evidence and compliance language.
Improve an Existing Draft
Use the AI Grant Writer in Improve mode. Paste your draft, select the school and grant program (Title I, Title IV-A, IDEA, E-Rate, Title III). The AI adds school data, compliance language, and flags unsupported claims.
Generate from Scratch
Use the AI Grant Writer in Generate mode. Select school, grant program, and optional focus areas. Get a complete first-draft with Needs Assessment, Proposed Solution, Implementation Plan, Expected Outcomes, Budget Justification, Sustainability Plan, and Evidence Base.
Workflow: Document Summarizer (extract RFP) → Find matching schools → Grant Writer (generate narrative for each). The Grant Writer pulls enrollment, FRL%, proficiency rates, and demographics from the Knowledge Graph.
Phase 4: File E-Rate
E-Rate has its own workflow. Use ThinkKits to prepare forms and documentation.
Check E-Rate Eligibility
Use E-Rate Eligibility on a school profile (or /schools/{nces_id}/erate-eligibility) to see discount rate, 20-year funding history, and C2 budget status.
Pre-Fill Form 470
Use the E-Rate Document Generator to auto-fill FCC Form 470 fields. Select service type (internet, wifi, switches, etc.). Copy applicant info, recipient entities, service request, discount info, and C2 budget into the USAC EPC portal.
Generate Technology Plan
For districts, use the E-Rate Generator's Tech Plan mode. Enter district LEA ID. Get infrastructure assessment, goals, timeline, budget overview, and compliance notes.
Create Bid Evaluation Matrix
Use the E-Rate Generator's Bid Matrix to create a competitive bid evaluation template. Price is weighted at 40% (USAC requirement). Fill in vendor bids during the 28-day posting period.
Follow the Filing Checklist
Use E-Rate Filing Checklist (/erate/filing-checklist) for step-by-step deadlines: Form 470 post, 28-day bidding, Form 471 window, Form 486, reimbursement.
See also: E-Rate C2 Budget Tracker for finding schools with unspent C2 funds.
Phase 5: Track Spend
Monitor allocations vs. actuals and maintain compliance.
Funding History
Use Federal Funding History on district profiles to view multi-year allocations by program (Title I, IDEA, Title IV-A, ESSER, etc.). Compare per-pupil spending against peers.
Grant Spend Dashboard
If your district has connected ERP data or uploaded spend CSVs, use the Grant Spend dashboard to track allocations vs. actuals, burn rate, and category breakdown. Export compliance reports.
E-Rate C2 Budget
Check C2 Budget on school profiles to see remaining Category 2 funds, commitment history, and cycle expiry. Plan spending before the 5-year window ends.
Quick Reference — All Tools
Identify
Compliance Checker, Purchase Qualifier, School Funding tab
Find
Grant Programs, Document Summarizer
Generate
AI Grant Writer, Justification Report
File E-Rate
E-Rate Generator, E-Rate C2, Filing Checklist
Track
Funding History, Grant Spend, C2 Budget
Procurement
Procurement Quick-Start — how to buy with federal funds