Funding guide for school districts

Paying for school operations software with state and federal funds

A plain-language walkthrough of the programs districts use for hiring, substitutes, technology and more: what each pays for, where our apps can fit (and where they don’t), and the rules to follow. Updated for 2026.

Open the funding finder Read the rules

Step by step

How to use federal funds for a purchase like this

  1. Talk to your federal programs director

    They write the district’s consolidated application and know what your state allows. Start there.

  2. Tie it to a need

    Point to a goal in your needs assessment, like filling hard-to-staff positions or keeping new teachers.

  3. Pick the program and write the activity

    Match the need to a program (usually Title II-A, IV-A or REAP) and describe the activity, who it serves and how you’ll measure it. The funding finder drafts this for you.

  4. Check the rules

    Allowable, reasonable, supplement not supplant, and within any caps. See the rules every purchase follows.

  5. Get a quote and buy it the right way

    Follow your procurement procedures. Our apps are month to month with no long contract, which keeps the cost inside a single grant year.

  6. Amend your budget if needed, then keep records

    Add it to the approved budget (or file an amendment) and keep the quote, invoice and evidence of use.

The programs

Where the money comes from

Title II, Part A

Recruiting, hiring and keeping effective teachers, new-teacher support, evaluation systems and professional learning, including substitutes for training days.

Read the Title II-A guide →

Title IV, Part A

Well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and the effective use of technology, with a 15% cap on software and devices.

Read the Title IV-A guide →

Rural districts (REAP)

SRSA and RLIS grants, plus REAP-Flex, which lets small rural districts use Title II-A and IV-A funds more freely.

Read the REAP guide →

The rules

Supplement not supplant, allowable costs, procurement and records: what every federally funded purchase needs.

Read the rules →

Local funds

Finance and facilities tools, and everyday substitute management, are usually general fund costs. We’re upfront about that.

See what fits each app →

Start here

Open the funding finder and get a free funding plan

Tell us about your district and the funding finder opens right below: which programs fit the apps you picked, draft wording for your application, and other grants your district could apply for. We’ll also email a funding plan for your state with a quote you can put on the budget line. No obligation.

The funding finder needs everything not marked optional to work properly: your state and size decide which programs and grants fit.

Which of our apps interest you?
Programs that can help pay for our apps (optional)
Other funding you’d like help with (optional, whatever it pays for)
Is your district rural? Yes: every one of your schools is in a place the National Center for Education Statistics calls rural, or a distant or remote town (locale codes 32, 33, 41, 42 or 43).No: any school is in a city, a suburb, or a town on the edge of a city (codes 11 to 31).Not sure? Look up your schools in NCES School Search and check the Locale, or ask your federal programs director whether the district gets SRSA or RLIS funds.

We’ll only use this to send your funding plan and follow up about the Weaverbird Works apps. See our Privacy Policy.

Funding finder

What can help pay, and what else you could apply for

See where each app you’re considering fits, a draft activity description to adapt for your application, and other grants your district could apply for.

Questions

Common questions

Can federal funds pay for school software?

Sometimes. Software can be an allowable cost when it carries out an allowable activity in your plan, like recruiting and keeping effective teachers under Title II, Part A, and it meets the supplement-not-supplant and Uniform Guidance rules. Under Title IV, Part A, software counts toward a 15% cap within the technology area.

Are Title II-A and Title IV-A still funded in 2026?

Yes. Congress kept Title II, Part A at about $2.19 billion and Title IV, Part A at about $1.38 billion for fiscal year 2026, and did not adopt the proposal to combine them into a block grant.

Can ESSER funds still be used?

No. ESSER pandemic relief funds have passed their deadlines for new spending.

Who decides what's allowable?

Your state education agency, through its guidance and its review of your application, and your district's federal programs director, who writes the plan and budget.

Does E-Rate pay for help desk or HR software?

Generally no. E-Rate is for internet connectivity and networks, not administrative software.

This guide is general information, last reviewed October 2026, not legal or grant advice. Your state education agency and your district’s federal programs director decide what’s allowable, and rules vary by state. We’re a software company, and we sell the apps this guide mentions.