How to pay for Mission.io with federal funds.
The money usually exists. Here’s which federal fund fits Mission.io’s teacher-led Missions, what to write, and who to ask.
Checked against the law and U.S. Department of Education guidance in .
Step 1: Find your fund
Find the federal fund that fits your need.
Every federal fund pays for a need. Find your school’s below, and you’ve found your fund.
Which sounds like your school?
“This isn’t the gifted and talented program... Every single student in our school gets to do this. And that’s the beauty of it. It’s an equalizer.”
Title I, Part A
ESEA §§1114 and 1115
Ask: Your principal and your district’s Title I director
For schools with many students from low-income families. A schoolwide program (40% low-income or more, or with a state waiver) can use it to upgrade the whole school’s program.
Why Mission.io fits
Every student in the room works through a real scenario with their team, using the grade-level content they just learned.
Watch for
Title I adds to what state and local money already pay for, never replaces it. In a schoolwide school, the purchase ties to the schoolwide plan and its needs assessment; in a targeted assistance school, it serves only the students the program identifies.
What to write
Mission.io supports our schoolwide plan’s goal of [your goal] with teacher-led, whole-class Missions in which every student applies grade-level content to work through a real scenario with their class. Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure.
Title I school improvement
ESEA §1003; evidence levels at §8101(21)(B)
Ask: Your district’s school improvement lead
Level II meets this bar
Money states set aside for schools identified for comprehensive or targeted support and improvement. It pays for evidence-based interventions in the school’s plan.
Why Mission.io fits
These funds accept only strong, moderate, or promising evidence (ESSA levels 1 to 3). Level II is moderate evidence.
Watch for
Level IV, a rationale alone, doesn’t count here. Attach the study itself (step 2).
What to write
Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure. Moderate evidence (Level II) meets ESSA’s evidence requirement for activities funded under Title I, Section 1003 (ESEA Section 8101(21)(B)).
Title IV, Part A
ESEA §§4101 to 4112
Ask: Your district’s federal programs director
Student Support and Academic Enrichment: flexible money for a well-rounded education (STEM, social studies, and more), safe and healthy students, and the effective use of technology.
Why Mission.io fits
Missions are built from science, math, ELA, and social studies. The technology connects every student, and the teacher leads the class through it.
Watch for
A district receiving $30,000 or more spends at least 20% on well-rounded education. At most 15% of the technology money goes to infrastructure, software included. Your district decides how a purchase is charged.
What to write
Mission.io supports a well-rounded education under Title IV, Part A: teacher-led, whole-class Missions in which students apply science, math, ELA, and social studies to work through a real scenario together. Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure.
Title III, Part A
ESEA §3115
Ask: Your district’s English learner or Title III coordinator
Language instruction for English learners and immigrant students. The law names “curricula, instructional materials, educational software” among the allowed uses.
Why Mission.io fits
In a Mission, English learners read, talk, and defend their thinking with a team, using academic language in context.
Watch for
Title III goes beyond the core English learner program your district already provides, and never replaces it.
What to write
Mission.io gives our English learners practice with academic language in context: in teacher-led, whole-class Missions, students read, discuss, and defend their thinking with a team. Title III allows educational software for English learners (ESEA Section 3115(d)(2)).
21st Century Community Learning Centers
ESEA §§4201 to 4206
Ask: Your center’s program or site coordinator
Competitive state grants for before-school, after-school, and summer programs. They pay for academic enrichment outside school hours, including math, science, and technology.
Why Mission.io fits
Missions run with a whole group, so a club or summer session gets the same teacher-led experience a class does.
Watch for
States award these by competition, for three to five years, to a district, a community organization, or another eligible group. No center at your school? Ask whether your district plans to apply.
What to write
Mission.io adds academic enrichment to our 21st Century Community Learning Center: teacher-led Missions in which students apply math, science, and literacy to work through a real scenario as a group. Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure.
Title II, Part A
ESEA §2103; transfers at §5103
Ask: Your district’s federal programs or professional learning director
Supporting Effective Instruction: professional learning for teachers and school leaders, including training teachers to use technology well. Generally not student software licenses.
Why Mission.io fits
Training your teachers to lead Missions fits here. For the license, a district can move this money into Title I or Title IV, Part A.
Watch for
Moving Title II, Part A (or IV, Part A) money into another fund needs no approval, only 30 days’ notice to the state. It then follows that fund’s rules.
What to write
We request Title II, Part A funds for professional learning on leading teacher-led, whole-class Missions with Mission.io, so our teachers can guide students as they apply what they’ve learned in a real scenario.
Checked in fall 2026 against the ESEA (U.S. Code), ED’s evidence guidance (2023), ED’s transferability letter (May 19, 2026), ED’s 21st CCLC page, FY2026 appropriations (CRS), and E-Rate eligible services (USAC). Your district’s federal programs office makes the final call on what each fund can pay for.
Step 2: Make the case
Your ESSA evidence paragraph is already written.
Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure. Paste the paragraph into your request, and attach the study.
Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure. In a quasi-experimental study of 1,039 fifth graders across 53 classrooms in a large public school district (2025 to 2026), conducted by Instructure and funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, students who used Mission.io made significant gains over students who didn’t in content knowledge (g = 0.335, p < .001), writing (g = 0.269, p = .015), and behavioral engagement (g = 0.173, p = .009). The more Missions a class ran, the more students grew in content knowledge (+0.0094 proportion correct per session, p < .001) and writing (+0.035 rubric points per session, p = .049).
Bautista, J., Henschel, M., & Allen Green, E. (2026). Mission.io and fifth grade learning outcomes: An ESSA Level II efficacy study, 2025-26. Instructure.
Every number already has its p-value beside it. No looking things up at 10 p.m.
Step 3: Send the paperwork
The paperwork is ready before you ask.
Funding and purchasing offices ask for the same few documents. Here they are.
- W-9 Ready now DOWNLOAD THE W-9 (PDF) →
- Sole source letter Ready now DOWNLOAD THE LETTER (PDF) →
- Your district’s DPA We sign yours SEND US YOUR DPA →
- A quote Priced in one tap PRICE YOUR SCHOOL →
Step 4: Get help from us
Stuck? We’ll help you find the money.
Tell us a little about your school or district. Wherever your budget stands, we’ll work with you to find a way to make it happen.
Got it.
A real human replies within one school day with where to look.
That didn’t send. Try again, or write to support@mission.io and we’ll take it from there.
Questions schools ask us.
Do we need to apply for a new grant?
Usually not. Title I, II, III, and IV, Part A are formula funds: they reach districts by a set formula, not a contest. 21st Century Community Learning Centers are the exception: states award those by competition.
Can a teacher ask for federal funds?
Yes, by asking the right person. Most federal funds go to your district, and its federal programs office decides how they’re spent. Send them this page, or ask us to help.
Can Title II pay for software?
Generally not for student software licenses. Title II, Part A pays for professional learning, like training teachers to lead Missions. A district can move Title II, Part A money into Title I or Title IV, Part A with 30 days’ notice to the state, and then it follows that fund’s rules.
Does software count toward the Title IV, Part A 15% cap?
It can. At most 15% of a district’s Title IV, Part A technology money can go to technology infrastructure, and software counts as infrastructure there. The cap covers that share, not the whole grant, and your district decides how a purchase is charged.
Does ESSA Level II meet the bar for Title I school improvement?
Yes. Title I, Section 1003 funds accept only evidence levels 1 to 3 (strong, moderate, or promising), and Level II is moderate evidence. Mission.io meets ESSA Level II standards, as validated by Instructure.
Are these funds still around?
Yes. Congress funded Title I, II, III, and IV for the 2026-27 school year (signed February 3, 2026). For 2027-28 nothing is final, and the administration has proposed folding several into a block grant and ending Title III funding, so plan with your federal programs office.
What happened to ESSER?
It’s gone. ARP ESSER had to be committed by September 30, 2024, and the last spending extensions ran out in 2026. A budget that still names ESSER needs a new source.
Can E-Rate pay for Mission.io?
No. E-Rate covers internet access and the network inside your buildings, not instructional software.
The money is out there. Let’s go find it.
When it comes through, we’ll build your rollout with you. Until then, your free account never expires.