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Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2018

Massachusetts Dissemination Program: Facilitating School-to-School Learning
Fund Code: 537

Purpose and Objective: The purpose of the competitive Massachusetts Dissemination Program is to provide funds over two years1 to support the dissemination of effective practices and programs that have been developed, tested, and proven successful in Massachusetts' charter schools. The primary objective is to support quality activities that will improve student performance. These grants are a sub-grant pursuant to the United States Education Department's Charter School Program grant awarded to Massachusetts in 2016.
Competitive Priorities: Competitive priority for this grant will be given in the form of additional points to applications that:

  1. Are either Level 1 or Level 2 schools and equal to or above the 50th percentile.

  2. Have an identified and committed public school(s)/district(s) partner.

  3. Propose to partner or have a committed partner with Level 3 or 4 district public school(s).

  4. Focus strategies on at least one of the following three areas (the applicant will not receive multiple priority points if they pursue more than one of these strategies, a-c):

    1. Support the implementation of effective literacy strategies for pre-kindergarten through third-grade students.
    2. Support the implementation of effective math strategies for fifth- through eighth-grade students.
    3. Support the creation of school environments that are safe, supportive, and conducive to teaching and learning; reduce suspensions and expulsions; and/or focus on the social and emotional needs of all students.
Eligibility: Minimum Eligibility Requirements: A charter school must meet both of these minimum eligibility requirements demonstrating that they are an overall success in order to apply for funds under this program:

  1. Age/Status: The charter school(s) must have been renewed at least once and, if operating under any conditions, the applicant must explain why this status will not impede the school from being successful with the proposed project and,

  2. Academic Performance Standard: The charter school(s) cannot be level 3, unless the school is an alternative high school, in which case the school must provide compelling evidence that it is an overall success. All schools must demonstrate expertise and capacity to successfully complete the proposed project. Schools on probation are ineligible.

Please note: Regarding previous CSP- Dissemination grant recipients: Charter schools that previously received a CSP-Dissemination grant may apply for the 2017-2019 Massachusetts Charter School Dissemination grant.
Funding Type:Federal CFDA: 84.282

Funding: The Department has approximately between $1,200,000 and $1,500,000 in total available for 2-year grant awards. Each proposal is evaluated by a review panel, and funding is awarded on a competitive basis. The Department anticipates granting 4 to 8 awards of amounts between $100,000 and $650,000 each. This department reserves the right to increase/decrease the number of awards and/or funding, if necessary.
Fund Use: Dissemination funds are made available to assist charter schools in disseminating their successful practices to other public schools. Grant funds may not be used for food. Grant funds may not supplant the regular operating budget of the charter school and may not be used for marketing or recruitment activities designed to promote the charter school or its programs to parents or the community.

Examples of Acceptable Expenditures
  1. Salary Costs, Stipends, or Contractual Services for direct project work (Budget Lines 1, 2, or 6)
    • Salary/Contractual Services for a project coordinator devoted directly to conducting the dissemination project.
    • Stipends for work beyond regular duties for teachers at the charter school or the partner school(s) to participate in dissemination activities.
    • Stipends for administrative office staff for specific additional work related to grant tracking.
  2. Travel costs to conduct dissemination activities (Budget Line 8)
  3. Consumable office supplies/printing/postage related directly to the dissemination project (Budget Line 7)

Please note: rates and number of hours for consultants and stipends for employees must be reasonable, justifiable, and accompanied by a clear scope of services and or description of specific duties/activities.
Project Duration: Two-year projects will be approved in segments of one year each. Year 1 of the project will run from Upon Approval (no earlier than July 1, 2017) -June 30, 2018. The second year will run, subject to approval, from Upon Approval (no earlier than July 1, 2018) - June 30, 2019. A no cost extension through 8/31/2018 is allowable through this grant.
Program Unit:Office of Charter Schools and School Redesign
Contacts: Ruth Hersh (781) 338-3211
Prior to Grant Proposal Submission: Interested applicants are encouraged to submit an email to rhersh@doe.mass.edu indicating their intent to apply. The non-binding intent to apply email should include:

  • The name(s) of the charter school for which the applicant seeks dissemination grant funding;

  • The name(s) of proposed or committed partners,

  • A brief overview of the potential dissemination project, and

  • Contact information (name, title, email address, and phone number) for the applicant's point person to be included on any communications regarding this grant program prior to the submission of a full application.

Intent to Apply Email Notification Due: by 5:00 p.m. Tuesday, May 2, 2017.
Grant Proposal Submission Due Date: Completed grant proposals must be received by the Department by 5:00 p.m. Thursday, May 18, 2017. See Required Forms section below.
 
 
Required Forms:
Download Excel Document
Budget Workbook - Includes both Part I General - Program Unit Signature Page - (Coversheet/Standard Contract Form) and Part II - Project Expenditures - Budget Detail Pages (Include both pages.)
Download Word Document
Part III - Required Program Information (Project Proposal)
Download Word Document
Part IV - Assurances
Additional Information:
Download Word Document
List of Eligible Charter Schools
Download Word Document
Dissemination Program Grant Information for participants - Questions and Answers from Webinars held on May 2 and May 5, 2017. (updated 5/9/2017)
Other Requirements: Please note: As part of this review process, applicants will be required to participate in an interview in early June to answer questions regarding project proposals.
Submission Instructions: Department Intent to Apply - Due Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Full Proposals - Due Thursday, May 18, 2017:

  • Submit one (1) original hard copy of all required forms (Parts I, II, III, IV) collated and unstapled to be copied and distributed to reviewers. (This version must include a signed Part I signature page and a signed Part IV assurances.)
  • Submit electronically one (1) complete set of all required forms (Parts I, II, III, IV) documents, in their original Word or Excel formats (e.g., not converted to a PDF);
    • Use an email subject line of "LEA Code 04XX: Fund Code 537 Dissemination Grant Application"(where 04XX represents the school's LEA code) and ensure that each of the three attachments is named as indicated below.

    Document
         		Electronic File Name
     
    Budget Workbook, includes Part I signature page and Part II Budget Pages04XX_FY18_537_Part1and 2
    Part III - Required Program Information04XX_FY18_537_Part3
    Part IV - Assurances04XX_FY18_537_Part 4
Proposal Specifications: Each proposal must be submitted in the format outlined below. Please use the following as a checklist in assembling a completed proposal:

  • Pages must be 8.5" x 11" with at least 1" margins on all sides, and printed single-sided;
  • Part III narrative not to exceed 10 pages in length and must include items A-F in sequential order;
  • Responses to Section II (Budget) and other required attachment are not included in the 10 pages;
  • Font must be no smaller then Arial 10 point; and
  • Pages must be consecutively numbered.

Submissions should be sent according to the above instructions as follows:
Mail hard copy to:
Ruth Hersh (rhersh@doe.mass.edu)
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
Office of Charter School and School Redesign
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Part I in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.


Note:

1 If awarded funds for two years, award recipients will have to submit a revised FY19 budget towards the end of the first year of funding.