Rocketship Alma Academy

Rocketship Alma Academy, a San Jose-based nonprofit education organization, operates exclusively as a federal grant sub-recipient, receiving pass-through funding from the California Department of Education under U.S. Department of Education grant programs. The organization does not hold prime contracts, IDVs, or prime grant awards; all six of its recent federal awards are sub-awards distributed through California's education agency.

Rocketship Alma Academy's federal footprint is concentrated in two Department of Education grant programs, accounting for 100% of recent awards. Five awards derive from the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, directed toward improving teaching and learning in high-poverty schools and serving children failing or at-risk of failing to meet state academic achievement standards. One award flows from the Office of English Language Acquisition, supporting limited English proficient children and immigrant youth in achieving English proficiency and meeting state academic content standards. Additionally, four sub-awards issued in 2023 address pandemic response and recovery under coronavirus relief funding.

The organization has obligated $2.9 million across six awards spanning 2023 through October 2024. Activity contracted in 2024, with two awards compared to four in 2023. The organization's engagement with federal education funding operates entirely through California's education agency as the contracting intermediary, with no direct federal relationships or independent procurement authority. As a sub-recipient rather than a prime grantee, Rocketship Alma Academy's federal work reflects the organization's role as a local education provider receiving categorical grant support for instruction in high-poverty settings and English learner services.