This document is designed to provide State educational agencies (SEAs) and local educational agencies (LEAs) with essential information about the Rural Education Achievement Program (REAP). This informational document will supersede non-regulatory guidance on REAP published in 2003, providing information consistent with changes to the program enacted in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, which reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA). The document is not intended to be prescriptive or exhaustive, but rather, one of many resources to support SEAs and LEAs in utilizing REAP to meet the needs of small, low-income, and rural schools. It is intended to be read in conjunction with the authorizing statute, applicable regulations, and the U.S. Department of Education's (Department's) guidance on other programs that are relevant to REAP (such as Title IV, Part A). This document presents information about how the Department administers REAP to assist SEAs and LEAs with applying for, receiving, and using funds. The topics in this document address the frequent requests of small, rural LEAs to provide clear and current information on how to apply for, receive, and use REAP funds.