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With the goal of establishing 20 Hebrew language charter schools over the next five years, the Hebrew Charter School Center has announced that it is accepting applications for $950,000 worth of grants toward the development of dual-language schools throughout the country.

"The biggest hurdle in starting high-quality charter schools is the start-up costs and the start-up process," Dan Gerstein, spokesman for the Hebrew Charter School Center, told The Jewish State.

The Hatikvah International Academy Charter School in East Brunswick, the first Hebrew language charter school in New Jersey and only the fourth in the country, is one of the recipients of this grant program.

Hatikvah has already received a $50,000 grant and another $25,000 grant has been approved and the school and the center are in the process of finalizing the terms, according to the Hebrew Charter School Center.

Charter schools in New Jersey receive 90 percent of the funding locally and through the state, though the exact amount depends on both the amount of students as well as the needs of the students, with additional funding allocated for programs such as special education, according to Beth Auerswald, a spokeswoman for the state's Department of Education.

The Hebrew Charter School Center was created last year by the Areivim Philanthropic Group, an organization of Jewish philanthropists including billionaire Michael Steinhardt.

The center is offering four types of grants depending on the stage of the respective school. The "development" grants of up to $2,500 are provided to individuals or groups that are in early formation stage prior to seeking a charter. The "planning" grants of up to $35,000 are for individuals or groups that are in the process of applying for a charter. The "start-up" grants of up to $50,000 are provided to schools after they are charter approved and need funds to begin operations. The "technical assistance" grants, up to $250,000, are for already established charter schools to grow and develop.

"The center wants to help people with the challenges of starting a school from scratch," Gerstein said of the impetus behind the center's grant program.

The oldest Hebrew language charter school, Ben Gamla, was founded in 2007 and has two campuses in South Florida. Last fall, the Hebrew Language Academy Charter School in Brooklyn opened its doors.

Hatikvah, which will include an International Baccalaureate-Primary Years Programme as well as Hebrew language immersion, plans to open with 108 students in three grades, kindergarten through 2nd. The school expects to add a grade each year through 8th grade, with a total enrollment of 370 students. The school will be temporarily located at a building behind the Trinity Presbyterian Church in East Brunswick before moving to the Campus for Jewish Life after construction of its permanent facility is complete.