FY2024: Massachusetts 21^st Century Community Learning Centers — Exemplary Programs Grant

Fund Code: 0646

Purpose:

Supported with federal funds, the purpose of this competitive Exemplary Grant Program is to develop and enhance a network of exemplary 21^st Century Community Learning Centers (21^st CCLC) that will serve as models, mentors, and resources on how to design and implement high quality academically enriching programs.

Priorities:

Supporting eligible districts/organizations that are able to demonstrate how they meet/will meet the following priorities:

• Contributing to deepening student learning through engaging, academically enriching programming that is real world, relevant, and interactive.
• Effectively engaging students who attend schools eligible for Title I, Part A of Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) and their families, including students with identities and cultures that have been historically marginalized in educational settings. This includes but is not limited to students from families who are low income; students experiencing homelessness or who are in foster care; students who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC); first generation students; emerging multilingual students; students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs); and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ+) students.
• Strengthening student learning during the school year (SY) and summer by developing a coherent and holistic range of programming that is responsive to the needs and interests of diverse learners so that all students can be successful in school, empowered to make informed choices in life, and prepared for college and careers.
• Contributing to the development of a library of grantee designed and implemented high quality project-based learning units. Leveraging assessment data to design programming that is tailored to the needs and interests of students and demonstrates continuous program improvement efforts.
• Developing systems of support that engage students and families in ways that are culturally relevant, and leverage the knowledge, strengths, and assets of students, families, educators, and the community.
• Developing systems of support that engage students and families in schools that are in chronically underperforming status.
• Developing sustainable models for supporting additional quality learning time.
• Contributing to enhancing and advancing the work of the MA 21^st CCLC Program by serving as resources, models, and mentors to new and existing 21^st CCLC Programs.

Competitive priority will be given to districts and schools in chronically underperforming status.

Key Grant Requirements:

Out-of-School Time [OST] Applicants must continue to offer at least 400 hours of comprehensive programming during the school year (SY) and summer. Enrolled students are not expected to attend all 400 hours; however, it is expected that students will attend the programming an average of a minimum of 80–100 hours per year.

Expanded Learning Time [ELT] applicants must continue to offer a minimum of 300 expanded learning program hours by:

• Providing a school schedule that has increased the total number of hours required for all students by at least 180 hours over the State mandated requirements.

And

• Providing a minimum of 120 hours of summer programming for a select population of students who could benefit from additional engaging opportunities during the summer. Please note the total hours for SY and summer must add up to at least 300 hours.

ELT and OST -Applicants are required to employ a 21^st CCLC coordinator whose primary role is to oversee the design and implementation of grant-funded programming across all funded sites.

See Addendum A for additional requirements and priorities for all applicants.

Eligibility:

Applicants may apply for sites that received a Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Fund Code (FC) 646 grant .

• All eligible sites must also have received corresponding continuation grants and have met all grant and eligibility requirements (detailed in Addendum A).

Funding Source:

Federal CFDA 84.287C
Federal grant funds must adhere to:

• UGG (2 CFR 200)
• EDGAR As Applicable
• EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76

Funding:

A total of approximately $3,000,000,000 is projected to be available.

Applicants are eligible to apply for up to a maximum of 85% of their FY2023 grant award or $50,000 per site (whichever is more).

• [OST] Applicants may apply for up to an additional $10,000/site to help support transportation costs. The additional transportation funds may only be used to support transporting students home during the school year (SY) program, and to and from the program during the summer. Applicants must be able to demonstrate the need for the additional transportation funds.
  • 21^st CCLC grant funds cannot be used to support the cost of transportation for students who have transportation as a related service in their Individualized Education Program (IEP). It is the responsibility of the district to support those costs.
• [ELT] Applicant sites may apply for up to an additional $20,000 to support the required 120-hour summer program. Please refer to the grant requirements section for more details. Note these funds are specific to the ELT school and cannot be used to support district wide summer programs.
• Additional Funding Opportunity - High Quality Project Based Learning (HQPBL) Training - Cohort IV (see the District/Lead Applicant Required Program Information section in the grant application for additional details and requirements):
  • ELT/OST-Applicants may apply for up to an additional $20,000/site to participate in a yearlong HQPBL training. The additional funding may be used to stipend program staff for their participation in the training, planning, and development of an HQPBL Unit for piloting in summer of FY2024 and full implementation in the SY 2025.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

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:

Funds must be used solely to support, enhance, and/or provide related programming and activities that address the Purpose, Priorities, and Key Grant Requirements detailed above, and may include salaries, stipends, contracts, instructional materials, and other expenses associated with implementing additional time.

These funds may not be used to supplant existing costs, which would otherwise be funded (in the absence of these grant funds) from other sources (e.g., current salary levels, current transportation costs, instructional materials already being used during the school day, etc.).

• No more than 10% may be used for program materials. Any single purchase over $500 must be pre-approved.
• Budgets may not include any Indirect Costs.
• [ELT] Funds for the longer school-day/year may not be used to supplant existing teacher salaries; however, funds may be used for stipends or salaries related to providing academically enriching programming and/or services that support the grant priorities.

Project Duration:

Upon approval (No earlier than 09/01/2023) – 06/30/2024

Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant in years two and three (FY2025 and FY2026). Funding will be based on evidence that the program has met the key requirements, grant priorities (including maintenance of attendance levels for [OST]), and evidence that the grantee is working towards sustaining the program beyond the grant period.

Program Unit:

Office of Student and Family Support

Contact:

Karyl Resnick

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3515

Date Due:

Friday, June 23, 2023 5 p.m. Eastern

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

See the Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

All responses must be received by the due date and time listed in this RFP.
All responses must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions section of this RFP. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. Responses not submitted on time will not be reviewed. If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed in this RFP.

GEM$ Please Note: Grant Submission requires applicants to have their organization established in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the due date for temporary organization access.

Failure to provide DESE with GEMS Request Form at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.

Additional Information:

Site visit as well as information gathered by the Department through data collection will account for approximately 30% of the overall score. Additionally, points will be deducted based on risk assessment data. Refer to Addendum G for risk assessment data points.

Recipients will be required to utilize the Survey of Academic and Youth Outcomes (SAYO) for all students served by these funds.

Grant award notification: The Department will provide notice to all applicants when grant awards are finalized and will post a list of funded grantees on the Department's Grant Awards webpage. All applicants not selected for funding will be provided with information about the process for requesting feedback about their application. See the Department's formal appeal process for more information.

The Department will host three exemplary workgroup sessions:

• May 12, 2023 — 10:00–11:00 — RFP Overview
• May 19, 2023 — 10:00–11:00 — Preparing to Write your Narrative
• May 26, 2023 — 9:30–1:00 — Writers Workshop

Submission Instructions:

The FY2024 Fund Code 646 Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Exemplary Programs grant will be submitted in our new GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will be taking the place of EdGrants.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)

Please Note: Grant Submission requires applicants to have their organization established in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the due date for temporary organization access.

Failure to provide DESE with GEMS Request Form at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.

Last Updated: May 18, 2023