The California Department of Education (CDE) Expanded Learning Division (EXLD) would like to notify the field of due date changes to the following fiscal year (FY) 2026–27 voluntary grant change requests: School Site Substitutions, Voluntary Site Cancellation, Fiscal Agent Changes, and Partnership Restructures. Moving the deadline for submission up to January 31, 2026 would ensure a timelier Data Build process which would quicken our Grant Award Notification (GAN) process.  

In a scenario where a grantee requests a voluntary grant change after this designated due date, it is subject to approval. If approved, the EXLD would process their request as an amendment package at a separate time. This will ensure the bulk of our GANs do not get delayed. 

All Voluntary Grant Change forms have been updated on our website with the new due date of January 31, 2026.

School Site Substitution

Grantees are permitted to request a school site substitution to transfer program services to another school site if there is a “significant barrier to pupil participation” as defined in California Education Code (EC) sections 8482.8 and 8426.5. 

An approved school site substitution will allow a grantee to transfer program services to another school site that meets the eligibility for these grants and that is within the same local educational agency (LEA). Direct-funded charter schools, private schools, and Small Necessary Schools that may be single school entities do not meet the criteria for school site substitution.

The school site substitutions process authorizes a transfer of After School Education and Safety (ASES), 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC), or After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) program funds.

Eligibility

To be eligible, a school site substitution may be authorized when either of the following conditions are met:

• The school site to which services would be transferred has an existing grant of the same type as the transferring school site and will be receiving students from the transferring school site. 
• The school site receiving the funding has a percentage of students eligible for Free or Reduced-Price Meals that is not lower than 10 percent of students from the transferring school.

The final filing deadline is January 31, 2026. Approved school site substitution requests submitted by the deadline, will have an effective date of July 1, 2026. The school site substitution form can be found at: https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/documents/schlsitesubform.pdf. If approved, the EXLD will reflect school site substitutions in the After School Support and Information SysTem (ASSIST) once approved by the department.

Voluntary Site Cancellation

If a grant recipient wants to reduce a program site down to zero and permanently relinquish their grant funding for that site, or a specific component, they may submit a Voluntary Site Cancellation form to the EXLD by January 31, 2026, to be effective July 1, 2026. Please contact Anna Lee (anlee@cde.ca.gov) to request the form. 

Fiscal Agent Change

All programs have one eligible entity that is the fiscal agent. For ASES, this must be either a LEA or a public agency. For 21st CCLC and ASSETs programs, the fiscal agent can also be a private entity, such as a community-based organization (CBO). The fiscal agent must adhere to the assurances and EC Sections that govern the program. California’s EC allows an ASES program to change its designated fiscal agent if the proposed new fiscal agent is a current entity in a partnership that received the grant and is otherwise eligible to serve as an ASES program fiscal agent (i.e., is an LEA or public agency), and if the CDE approves the request (EC Section 8482.3[f]).

Applying for the Fiscal Agent Change Request: 

The new proposed fiscal agent must complete, sign, and submit the attached documents by January 31: 

• Fiscal Agent Change Request form;

• Certified assurances located at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/lawsandpolicy.asp; and 

• Updated Program Plan (ASES only) 

In addition, the CDE’s General Assurances and Certifications located at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/fm/ff.asp must be downloaded and kept on file with the new fiscal agent for audits, compliance reviews, etc. 

The final filing deadline is January 31, 2026. Approved fiscal agent change requests submitted by the deadline, will have an effective date of July 1, 2026. The Fiscal Agent Change form can be found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/documents/fiscalagentchange.pdf. If approved, the EXLD will reflect new fiscal agent changes in ASSIST once approved by the department.

Partnership Restructure

A group of eligible entities may apply for and receive an After School Education and Safety Program (ASES), 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) or After School Safety and Enrichment for Teens (ASSETs) grant as a partnership or consortium. A partner listed on the grant has legal responsibility over the program. Partnerships/consortia may be restructured if all of the following conditions are met: 

(A) All partners or consortium members agree to the restructure. 

(B) The new structure complies with the requirements of California EC Section 8421(f)(8) (if an ASSETs grant), or Section 8482.3(f) (if an ASES or 21st CCLC grant), as applicable. 

(C)There is no change in the school, or schools, served by the restructured partnership or consortium.

(D)The department agrees to the restructure.

Applying for a Partnership Restructure: 

The following documents must be signed and submitted by the new partner to the Expanded Learning Division by January 31:

• Complete Partnership Restructure Form;

• Complete Signatures and Approvals;

• Attach Updated Program Plan (ASES only); and

• Sign and Submit Certified Assurances for your program located at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/lawsandpolicy.asp.

In addition, the CDE’s General Assurances and Certifications located at https://www.cde.ca.gov/fg/fo/fm/ff.asp must be downloaded and kept on file with the new fiscal agent for audits, compliance reviews, etc. 

The final filing deadline is January 31, 2026. Approved partnership restructures submitted by the deadline, will have an effective date of July 1, 2026. The Partnership Restructure form can be found at https://www.cde.ca.gov/ls/ex/documents/partnershiprestrfrm.pdf. If approved, the EXLD will reflect new partnerships in ASSIST once approved by the department.

Submission by January 31, 2026

Mail the original signed form and any corresponding documents to the address below. Postmarks will be honored.

Expanded Learning Division

1430 N Street, Suite 3400
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901

If you have any questions regarding this subject, please contact the Expanded Learning mailbox by e-mail at expandedlearning@cde.ca.gov.