The 21st CCLC program is the only federal funding stream dedicated to out-of-school time. It is competitive, school-linked, aimed at high-poverty schools, and designed to taper, so plan it as startup capital.
The Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers program (ESEA Title IV, Part B) is the only federal funding stream dedicated exclusively to out-of-school-time programs. Congress appropriated about $1.33 billion in each recent year. The U.S. Department of Education sends it by formula to state education agencies, which must award at least 93% of it as competitive subgrants. It is part of the federal education-funding landscape.
Eligible applicants are broad: school districts, community- and faith-based organizations, tribes, colleges, and other public or private entities (for-profits are eligible in many states, check the state's request for proposals). But the money is targeted: programs must serve students who attend high-poverty, low-performing schools. Iowa, for instance, targets Title I schoolwide-eligible schools where at least 40% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The practical implication: partner early with an eligible school.
A 21st CCLC program must provide three things together:
For high-school programs the law explicitly allows internships, apprenticeships and in-demand-industry ties, so a teen program fits well.
You apply through your state education agency on its own competitive cycle, which typically opens 6 to 12 months before the program year. Grants are paid on a reimbursement basis, run three to five years, and vary in size, North Carolina, for example, awards $50,000 to $400,000 a year. Crucially, most states step the award down over time (Iowa cuts 25% in years four and five; Mississippi runs 100/100/80/60), so you must plan to replace the grant with other funding as it tapers.
See the full funding stack, Federal Programs, and Program types & costs.