ROOTS Competitive Grant: Rural Opportunities for Optimal Transformation in Students' Health

The OSDE's ROOTS Competitive Grant: Rural Opportunities for Optimal Transformation in Students' Health is a state-administered competitive reimbursement grant offered by the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) to support improvements in physical education, health, and wellness programming for rural PK-12 schools across Oklahoma. The initiative is funded through the Oklahoma State Department of Health's Rural Health Transformation Program and supported through a federal financial assistance award from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The grant seeks to expand access to high-quality physical education instruction, fitness opportunities, and student wellness initiatives in rural communities while supporting implementation of the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Physical Education and Presidential Fitness Testing best practices. The grant program will support sixty rural PK-12 school sites during a six-month project period running from April 15, 2026 through October 30, 2026. Eligible rural school districts may submit applications for multiple school sites if each site independently qualifies. Selected school sites will receive professional development, mentoring, coaching, networking opportunities, and reimbursement funding for approved equipment and barrier-removal supplies related to physical education, fitness, health, and wellness activities. The grant is specifically designed to strengthen physical education instruction and increase opportunities for physical activity among students in rural communities. Equipment purchases must receive prior approval from OSDE before procurement, and all grant funds are distributed on a reimbursement basis after expenditures are incurred by participating sites. Funding through the ROOTS grant provides up to $10,000 per participating school site. The grant does not require a formal matching contribution from applicants, but participating personnel are expected to complete work outside of contracted school hours in order to fulfill program deliverables and qualify for reimbursement. Because the award is reimbursement-based, school sites must initially cover approved expenses and will later be repaid in arrears after documentation and compliance requirements are met. The funding is intended for approved supplies and equipment that support physical education instruction, student fitness testing, wellness activities, and related health initiatives aligned with state standards. The source materials do not identify a minimum award amount, though all selected sites may qualify for reimbursement funding up to the stated cap. Participation requirements are extensive and form a mandatory condition of receiving full funding. Each participating school site must designate at least one staff member to engage in multiple required activities throughout the grant period. These activities include participation in two on-site or virtual mentoring sessions, attendance at four project meetings, completion of a minimum of sixteen hours of professional development, attendance at an in-person summer 2026 training consisting of one eight-hour day, participation in a bi-weekly book study related to health and physical education best practices, and monthly one-hour communities of practice calls hosted by the OSDE Health and Physical Education Team or the Oklahoma Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. Completion of these deliverables is required for schools to receive the full funding allocation. The application process requires interested rural PK-12 school sites to complete the designated online application form no later than 11:59 p.m. Central Time on May 25, 2026. The funding opportunity announcement references a separate list of all eligible communities distributed in spreadsheet format, which applicants must consult to verify eligibility. The notice does not identify a separate letter of intent, concept paper, or pre-application requirement prior to submission of the application form. Likewise, the source materials do not specify formal scoring criteria, award notification dates, or detailed review methodologies. However, because the grant is competitive and limited to sixty sites statewide, applicants are expected to demonstrate capacity to participate fully in all required professional development and collaborative activities throughout the project period. Administrative oversight for the program is provided by the Oklahoma State Department of Education through its Health and Physical Education division. Questions regarding the grant may be directed to Shana Classen, Project Manager of Health and Physical Education, via the contact email referenced in the program materials. The opportunity appears to represent a targeted, time-limited initiative associated with the broader Rural Health Transformation Program rather than a permanently recurring annual competition. The grant announcement does not explicitly state that future cycles will occur annually, although the structure of the initiative may allow for future related opportunities depending on continued funding availability. The grant is fully supported through CMS and HHS funding under award number RHTCMS332048, totaling $223,476,948.62, with the contents and administration managed independently by the program authors and participating state agencies.

Demonstrate strong capacity to complete all required professional development and collaborative activities within the six-month grant timeline. Emphasize alignment with Oklahoma Academic Standards for Physical Education and plans to improve student wellness and fitness opportunities in rural communities.