Students at TMSA Apex. Photo courtesy of TMSA Apex/Facebook.
TMSA Public Charter Schools shared exciting news recently about two new sources of funding. Millions of dollars from a federal grant and from bond financing will promote student access and facility expansion for the public charter school network.
According to TMSA, the charter network currently serves more than 5,200 students at seven campuses across North Carolina.
Federal funding: The U.S. Department of Education has awarded TMSA $8.3 million in a federal grant to grow its STEAM programming to include nearly 4,000 new students in four N.C. counties.
According to TMSA’s news release:
This highly competitive five-year federal grant will support the replication and expansion of TMSA’s innovative, high-performing STEAM-focused schools across North Carolina, bringing 3,740 new seats to families across Wake, Guilford, Mecklenburg, and Cabarrus Counties.
In its release announcing the grant, TMSA recognized a coalition of supporters, who provided letters of endorsement for the grant application. That list includes Lindalyn Kakadelis, the Coalition’s former executive director, along with other state and community leaders.
Bond financing: TMSA has also secured $94 million in bond financing that will aid facility expansion at its campuses.
Here’s an excerpt from that TMSA new release announcing the bond financing:
TMSA Public Charter Schools (TMSA) proudly announces the successful closing of a $94,025,000 bond financing through the issuance of Education Revenue Bonds (Triad Educational Services, Inc.), Series 2025. The financing officially closed on April 2, 2025, and marks a pivotal step forward in TMSA’s continued commitment to delivering high-quality STEAM education to students across North Carolina … With this financing, TMSA will:
- Acquire and renovate the TMSA Charlotte Concord Campuses to serve students in grades K–12 starting in the 2025–26 school year.
- Construct a gymnasium and implement traffic improvements at the TMSA Triangle (Cary) Campus.
- Develop a comprehensive athletics complex at the TMSA Triangle High School Campus in Apex.
- Expand infrastructure at the TMSA Charlotte Elementary Campus to include a new loop road and a covered outdoor cafeteria.
- Construct a sports complex and renovate gym facilities at the new TMSA Charlotte Secondary Concord Campus.
The financing will also refund and refinance prior bond issuances from 2015, 2017, and 2019, helping TMSA reduce borrowing costs and optimize its capital structure.
Read more from TMSA Public Schools.
Congratulations to TMSA Public Charter Schools, a Coalition member. We are excited to see how this well-deserved funding expands student access to an excellent STEAM charter education!
