Dual credit – Start-up funding for school authorities

Important dates

Apply for funding

For the 2026/27 school year, Education and Childcare is investing $4 million to support dual credit programming. In addition, Assisted Living and Social Services is providing $550,000 this year to support dual credit health care aide grants.

Funding

School authorities can use this grant to create new dual credit programming at any school or support existing programming at a new school within their authority.

School authorities can collaborate to provide dual credit programming. Authorities apply together with one school authority being designated as the lead. The lead authority receives the funding and is responsible for managing the grant and reporting on behalf of all partners.

Eligible school authorities may apply for one start-up funding grant of up to $50,000 for dual credit opportunities in the 2026/27 school year.

Health Care Aide grants

To attract young Albertans to high-demand careers in continuing care, Assisted Living and Social Services is providing $550,000 to support health care aide dual credit start-up and enhancement grants. This targeted funding aims to increase the number of students pursuing a career in continuing care and help alleviate growing workforce pressures.

Eligibility

The following school authorities and schools are eligible to apply:

• public
• separate
• francophone
• First Nations/First Nation Education Authority
• public charter
• accredited funded independent (private)

Mandatory criteria

The dual credit opportunity must:

• align with Education and Childcare’s description of dual credit as defined in the Alberta Dual Credit Framework and Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework
• not be connected to a post-secondary continuing education course/program or a high school upgrading course
• not be the same as or similar to programming funded through other government grant funding

The application must:

• identify the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code and the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the dual credit opportunity
• be completed at the school authority level and signed by the superintendent, education director or an authorized designate
• be submitted via email by the deadline

Assessment criteria

The applicant must identify and describe how the proposed dual credit opportunity:

• connects to the local or provincial labour market
• meets students’ interests or needs
• will make a difference for their students and local community
• will be implemented over the next 2 years

How to apply

Step 1. Review the guiding documents

Ensure the dual credit opportunity aligns with the description, guiding principles and criteria in the:

• Alberta Dual Credit Framework
• Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework

Step 2. Complete the application

Alberta Education and Childcare Dual Credit Start-up Funding Application

Step 3. Submit the application package

Email the application to [email protected] by June 4, 2026.

After you apply

The application review takes approximately 8 to 12 weeks from the application closing date. A dual credit team member may contact applicants before intake closes to allow revisions to their submission. School authorities who require support on their application may contact the dual credit team.

Once the review is complete, applicants will receive an email notifying them about their application status. If start-up funding is approved, it will be distributed to the lead school authority at the beginning of the next school year.

Reporting

School authorities must report on the dual credit start-up funding allocated for a school year by July 31. The report needs to identify:

• any partners who collaborated on the programming
• revenue and expenses for the school year
• how many students participated
• a description of the learning opportunity
• promising practices that worked
• challenges that were addressed
• next steps to sustain the programming

All school authorities must report on the dual credit start-up funding allocated for the school year by July 31. If the allocated start-up grant funding has not been fully spent, school authorities may request to carry it forward to the next school year by completing the grant reporting template, including a rationale for carrying the funds forward and a summary of expenses incurred to date.

If the opportunity identified in the original start‑up grant application needs to be replaced with a new opportunity, a letter outlining the rationale for the shift, along with a new itemized budget, must be submitted for approval. Once the subsequent school year ends, an additional report must be submitted for the reallocated amount.

The lead school authority is responsible for completing and submitting the report by using the interactive Dual Credit Start-up Funding Grant Reporting Template.

Contact

Connect with the Education and Childcare Dual Credit Grant Team:

Hours: 8:15 am to 4:30 pm (open Monday to Friday, closed statutory holidays)
Email: [email protected]

Related

• Dual credit enhancement funding for schools
• Registered Apprenticeship Program
• Career and Technology Studies
• Off-campus Education
• Career education