Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2023: Genocide Education

Fund Code: 215

Purpose:

The purpose of this competitive grant program is to support teaching and learning related to the history of genocide. As stated in Chapter 98 of the Acts of 2021, "Every school district shall, for the purpose of educating middle and high school students, provide instruction on the history of genocide consistent with the content standards articulated in the history and social science curriculum framework." This grant supports LEAs to develop and/or select curriculum materials, implement professional development, and design other enriching learning experiences intended to further secondary students' understanding of the history and patterns of genocide. Districts may propose to collaborate with vendors to support this work.

Priorities:

DESE seeks to fund proposals that:

align materials, curriculum, professional development, and/or experiential learning opportunities to the History and Social Science Framework and the goals outlined in Chapter 98 of the Acts of 2021, An act concerning genocide education (see "Additional Information" below). Grant-funded activities should be meaningful learning experiences that are well-integrated into existing instruction.
increase equitable access to high-quality genocide education for all students.
lead to sustainable, long-term impact as opposed to "one-off" activities.
include opportunities to work in partnership with relevant organizations and/or engage local community members. Examples include (but are not limited to): partnering with organizations with expertise in genocide education, partnering with local community-based organizations, soliciting input from relevant community stakeholders, and designing learning opportunities at local sites.

Competitive priority in the scoring process will also be given to:

Districts and schools in chronically underperforming status
LEAs with a student population in which greater than 40% are designated as economically disadvantaged.
LEAs who do not already have a well-established genocide education program.

Eligibility:

All Massachusetts Local Education Agencies (districts, charter schools, and Collaboratives) are eligible to apply.

Funding Type:

Trust

Funding:

Approximately $1 million is available through this grant. Total amount of awards will be determined based on quality of proposals received.

Maximum award is determined by the total student enrollment of the applying LEA or group of LEAs if applying as a partnership. Important note: the total maximum award amount is the same regardless of whether districts intend to use the funds solely in FY23 or across both FY23 and FY24.

Size Tier 1: LEAs or LEA groups enrolling up to 1,000 students (total)
May apply for up to $20,000

Size Tier 2: LEAs or LEA groups enrolling 1,001-6,000 students (total)
May apply for up to $40,000

Size Tier 3: LEAs or LEA groups enrolling 6,001 or more students (total)
May apply for up to $60,000

Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.

Fund Use:

LEAs may propose initiatives in one or more of the following categories:

Curriculum: Development and/or purchase of curriculum that focuses on topics outlined in the genocide education legislation and/or the History and Social Science Framework. Curriculum may be implemented in history and social science courses as well as in other subject areas (e.g. English language arts). Applicants are encouraged to build upon existing quality curricular resources and to incorporate frameworks that can build students' conceptual knowledge. All curricular materials should be thoughtfully integrated if supplementing pre-existing curriculum.
Professional Development: Training for educators that focuses on the implementation of curriculum materials, content knowledge, and/or pedagogical strategies related to the teaching of the history of genocide. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate training activities that build educators' skills in discussing sensitive material with students.
Enrichment: Other learning activities designed to deepen students' understanding of the history of genocide and connect it to local context. Potential activities include (but are not limited to): field trips to relevant local sites or museums, visits from experts or individuals directly impacted by genocide, opportunities for students to view performances or other cultural events related to the history of genocide.

Fund use may include, but is not limited to:

Stipends for teachers and administrators to participate in professional development or planning
Purchase of curriculum/instructional materials
Contracting with external partners, including non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, and professional development providers
Student transportation and/or costs associated with special events or experiential learning opportunities

Funding restrictions:

No funds may be dedicated toward salaries
No funds may be used to purchase technology (e.g., Smart Boards, iPads)
No greater than 5% of funds may be dedicated toward administrative costs associated with the grant

Project Duration:

FY23: Upon Approval – 06/30/2023
FY24: Upon Approval (no earlier than 07/01/2023) – 06/30/2024

Applicants must complete a separate Part I (Signature Page) and Part II (Budget) for each fiscal year.

Program Unit:

Office of Literacy and Humanities
Center for Instructional Support

Contact:

Rebekah Judson

Date Due:

Thursday, December 1, 2022*

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.

*All responses must be received by the due date listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not submitted on time will not be reviewed. Applicants applying after the due date may be notified their application was received late and will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions below. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed on this funding opportunity.

Required Forms:

Vendor Scope of Work — If the proposal includes contracting with an external organization, please submit a scope of work that includes that organization's planned activities and costs, on that organization's letterhead. Those costs should correspond to the budget submitted (Part II).

Additional Information:

Chapter 98 of the Acts of 2021 includes three major goals for genocide education: "Instruction on genocide shall be taught consistent with the history and social science curriculum framework to: (i) promote the teaching of human rights issues in all public schools and school districts, with particular attention to the study of the inhumanity of genocide; (ii) address the history and patterns of genocide that demonstrate how hatred against national, ethnic, racial or religious groups impacts nations and societies; and (iii) reject the targeting of a specific population and other forms of prejudice that can lead to violence and genocide."

For additional information regarding the genocide education legislation, standards-aligned curriculum, and the definition of "genocide" utilized within the law, please see DESE's Genocide Education in Massachusetts: Frequently Asked Questions .

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education expects grant recipients to share a description of the outcomes of the grant and products as requested to expand the impact of the grant. Per Chapter 98, grantees will also be required to provide information about genocide education in their district more broadly, including details about the number of hours of genocide education instruction provided at each grade level and the title and description of the courses in which such instruction is integrated. Each grant recipient must complete and submit a brief Grant Final (End-of-Year) Report.

Submission Instructions:

Please email the required documents as listed above, attached to a single email, to cisgrants@mass.gov using the subject line: FC215 – [District Name] – Genocide Education Grant. Please use the provided file types, and note that signature pages must be sent as pdf documents.

FY23 Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) — PDF document
FY24 Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) — PDF document
Part II — Budget Details Pages Workbook (FY23 and FY24 tabs) — Excel spreadsheet
Part III — Required Program Information — Word document

Please also submit a vendor scope of work (Word, Excel, or PDF) if the proposal includes contracting with an external organization.

Please do not submit JPEGs or other file formats.

Applicants will receive a confirmation when the required forms are received. Early submission is strongly encouraged in order to ensure the complete application is received and confirmed by 5pm on the due date.

Please submit questions to: rebekah.m.judson@mass.gov by 5:00pm on Thursday, November 17th. Responses to questions will be posted on this page on Tuesday, November 22nd.

Responses to Questions — Added 11/18/2022

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget, Parts I and III, and the vendor scope of work (if applicable) for FY2023 in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.

Last Updated: November 18, 2022