Funding Your Secret Stories® Implementation
You should not have to pay out of pocket. Federal, state, and local dollars already exist for evidence-based literacy materials. Here is where to look and exactly what to say.
Timing matters: most Title I and state grant budgets are committed by early fall. Start the conversation before this cycle closes.
Funding Sources at a Glance
Start with the source that matches your role, then scroll down for the exact ask.
| Funding Source | What It Covers | Best For | Who to Ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| ESSA Title I, Part AFederal | Supplemental instructional materials and reading interventions for schools serving low-income students. The largest pool of federal K-12 funding. | Title I schools, K-2 intervention | Your Title I coordinator or principal |
| ESSA Title II, Part AFederal | Professional development and teacher effectiveness, including training sessions and the materials that support them. | Pairing PD with materials | Your district PD or curriculum director |
| ESSA Title IV, Part AFederal | Well-rounded education programs, literacy enrichment, and educational technology under the Student Support block grant. | Flexible, low-competition asks | Your federal programs director |
| IDEA, Part BFederal | Materials and interventions for students with IEPs, including specialized and multisensory reading instruction. | SPED teams and IEP reading goals | Your special education director |
| State Literacy GrantsState | Science of reading initiatives, comprehensive state literacy grants, and remaining pandemic-recovery style funds that many states rolled into literacy programs. | Science of reading mandates | Your curriculum director or your state DOE grants page |
| PTA / PTO FundsLocal | Classroom wish lists, one-time purchases, and school-wide reading initiatives funded by parent groups. | Single-classroom purchases | Your PTA or PTO board at a monthly meeting |
| DonorsChooseCrowdfunding | Teacher-posted classroom projects funded by public donors, often boosted by corporate match days. | Individual teachers, fast wins | Post the project yourself at donorschoose.org |
ESSA Title I, Part A
FederalSupplemental instructional materials and reading interventions for schools serving low-income students. The largest pool of federal K-12 funding.
Who to ask: Your Title I coordinator or principal
Frame Secret Stories as a supplemental, evidence-based phonics resource for students reading below benchmark. Point to the ESSA Tier 1 evidence rating, since Title I spending is required to be evidence-based. That single line usually settles the eligibility question.
Next step: Email your Title I coordinator this week and attach the vendor packet below.
ESSA Title II, Part A
FederalProfessional development and teacher effectiveness, including training sessions and the materials that support them.
Who to ask: Your district PD or curriculum director
Pair a Class Kit purchase with Secret Stories professional development. Title II dollars can cover the PD side, and bundling training with materials is often the easiest way to get both approved at once.
Next step: Ask your PD director whether Title II funds remain for this school year.
ESSA Title IV, Part A
FederalWell-rounded education programs, literacy enrichment, and educational technology under the Student Support block grant.
Who to ask: Your federal programs director
Position Secret Stories as literacy enrichment that supports a well-rounded education. Title IV is flexible and frequently under-requested, so asks here tend to face far less competition than Title I.
Next step: Send your federal programs director a one-line eligibility question today.
IDEA, Part B
FederalMaterials and interventions for students with IEPs, including specialized and multisensory reading instruction.
Who to ask: Your special education director
Highlight the brain-based, multisensory design and its track record with struggling readers. Tie the request directly to the reading goals already written into student IEPs so the purchase maps cleanly to the plan.
Next step: Raise it at your next IEP team or SPED department meeting.
State Literacy Grants
StateScience of reading initiatives, comprehensive state literacy grants, and remaining pandemic-recovery style funds that many states rolled into literacy programs.
Who to ask: Your curriculum director or your state DOE grants page
Most states now fund materials aligned to the science of reading. Cite the ESSA Tier 1 rating and the 1.62 effect size on the application. Those two data points check the evidence box on nearly every state grant rubric.
Next step: Check your state DOE grants page for literacy windows open this term.
PTA / PTO Funds
LocalClassroom wish lists, one-time purchases, and school-wide reading initiatives funded by parent groups.
Who to ask: Your PTA or PTO board at a monthly meeting
Bring a one-page ask with the exact kit, the price, and the outcome: stronger readers by spring. Parent groups love fundable, finishable projects with visible classroom impact, so keep the ask specific and small.
Next step: Get on next month's PTA agenda with a one-page ask and an exact price.
DonorsChoose
CrowdfundingTeacher-posted classroom projects funded by public donors, often boosted by corporate match days.
Who to ask: Post the project yourself at donorschoose.org
List the exact Secret Stories materials you need, describe the phonics gap in plain, parent-friendly language, and share the project link with families and on social media. Match days can fully fund a project in hours.
Next step: Draft your project today so it is live before the next match day.
Make the Case in One Sentence
Every funding source above requires evidence-based materials. Secret Stories® meets the ESSA Tier 1 strong evidence standard with a 1.62 effect size, which is exactly the language funders need to hear.
Used in districts including NYC DOE, LAUSD, Fresno USD, and Gwinnett County.
See the full research →Need a quote for your PO?
We will prepare a formal quote your business office can attach to a purchase order, usually within 1 business day. Vendor and W-9 paperwork is ready to download.
Quotes within 1 business day. W-9 and sole-source letters available.
