AZED advises local districts and charters on federal grant pause

Letter outlines process awaiting federal action for upcoming payments

PHOENIX – The Arizona Department of Education is providing guidance to local public districts and charter operators about a pause taken by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) affecting certain federal grants to schools. This does not affect any prior years funding that districts or charters may have available to use.

The U.S. Department of Education did not issue grant award notifications for a limited number of programs on July 1 prior to completing their review of federal awards. This means that the Arizona Department of Education cannot access these federal monies until USED and the federal Office of Management and Budget provide financial amounts to states.

The Arizona Department is taking steps to guide districts and charters regarding the affected programs in grants management for FY 2026 funding applications and we are working to obtain more information and access the federal funds as soon as possible.