Funding Once in your schools

Schools pay for daily one-on-one reading tutoring through federal Title funds, IDEA, state and local budgets, and partnerships.
Talk to our schools teamSee funding sources
A student points to the words on a laptop while her tutor coaches her through a one-on-one Once lesson

Federal funding sources

Federal programs can pay for tutoring for the students they serve, from low-income students and English learners to students with disabilities.

  • Title I, Part A

    Schoolwide/targeted tutoring for low-income students.

  • Title I, Part C & D

    Migrant education and juvenile facility re-entry support.

  • Title I, Sec 1003(g)

    School Improvement Grants for high-needs populations.

  • Title II, Part A

    Recruitment, training, and stipends for educators acting as tutors.

  • Title III, Part A

    Tailored tutoring for English Learners (ELL).

  • Title IV, Parts A & B

    Enrichment, before/after-school & summer programs.

  • IDEA

    Specialized academic intervention for students with disabilities.

  • McKinney-Vento Act

    Catch-up tutoring for students facing homelessness.

  • RLIS

    Flexible rural school program funding.

  • Perkins V (CTE)

    Career and technical education programs, including work-based learning for high school students in education and teaching pathways.

State, local, and partnership funding

State and district budgets, college partnerships, and grants can fund tutoring on their own or alongside federal dollars.

State & local budgets

  • State Compensatory Education / Formula Funds

    State-allocated categorical funds targeted at low-achieving students or specific risk factors.

  • State Competitive / Legislative Grants

    State-specific literacy, math acceleration, or high-dosage tutoring grant programs allocated by state education agencies.

  • Local Operating / General Funds

    District operating budgets strategically reallocated through Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) frameworks.

Alternative & partnerships

  • Federal Work-Study (FWS)

    Partner with colleges using work-study community service funds to place students as tutors.

  • Educator Prep Programs (EPPs)

    Collaborate with teacher-training courses where university students earn clinical credit tutoring.

  • AmeriCorps Grants

    Utilize AmeriCorps State/National, VISTA, or Senior Corps volunteers to staff interventions.

  • Private Philanthropy & Grants

    Seed funding and startup grants from private donors and educational non-profits.

Free Once tutoring through the Education Freedom Tax Credit

Beginning January 1, 2027, taxpayers can allocate federal tax liability toward student early-reading scholarships at zero net out-of-pocket-cost. Once hires and manages the tutors and you get the entire Once Early-Reading Program at no cost.

US map showing which states have opted in to the Education Freedom Tax Credit program, shaded in green, and which have not decided yet, shaded in gray
State opt-in status for the program.

How the donation and tax credit cycle works

  1. 1

    Taxpayer

    $1,700 donation

  2. 2

    Non-profit scholarship granting organization

    Grants the scholarship

  3. 3

    Student

    Receives scholarship

  4. 4

    Federal government (IRS)

    Issues the credit

  5. 5

    Taxpayer

    $1,700 tax credit

From funding to first lesson

Once your funding is set, the Once Program team handles onboarding and stays with your schools all year.

Getting started

  1. 1Select delivery model(s)
  2. 2Designate district point person
  3. 3Select schools
  4. 4Once Program team onboards schools, confirms staffing, schedules and locates training, instruction

Ongoing support

  1. 1Up to weekly staff coaching
  2. 2Monthly district meeting
  3. 3Monthly school meeting
  4. 424-7 email, phone, text support

Have a question?

Talk through funding for your schools

Tell us about your district and the funding you are considering, and the Once team will follow up.