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Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2025: Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program

Fund Code: 0221

Purpose:

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is offering a competitive grant to support a cohort of districts in establishing Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP). Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Programs (RTAP) in Massachusetts are innovative pathways into teaching designed to build a diverse and effective teaching workforce that reflects the rich cultural backgrounds of our students. At the heart of RTAP is a commitment to providing equitable opportunities for aspiring educators, particularly those from underrepresented communities, to enter the teaching profession for little to no cost.

RTAP offers a new pathway to earning an Initial license in Massachusetts. RTAP integrates on-the-job training with academic coursework, allowing participants to earn while they learn. This hands-on approach ensures that apprentices gain practical classroom experience under the supervision of experienced educators while simultaneously completing the requirements for Initial licensure.

Priorities:

The main priorities of the grant are to:

  1. Cultivating a Diverse and Effective Pipeline in Local Communities
    RTAP addresses the need for a teaching workforce that mirrors the diversity of Massachusetts's student population. By focusing on recruiting and supporting aspiring teachers from the increasingly diverse communities in which they live, RTAP will help to ensure that our classrooms are led by educators who represent the lived experiences and diverse perspectives of all Massachusetts communities.

  2. Job-Embedded Preparation in Hard-to-Staff Roles
    RTAP aims to create better teachers — particularly in some of our hardest-to-staff roles such as special education, early childhood, ESL, and STEM — by providing apprentices with on-the-job learning opportunities, personalized support and mentoring, professional development, and access to a network of experienced peers and education leaders. This ensures that RTAP graduates are well-prepared and positioned to thrive in today's classrooms from day one.

  3. Equitable Access
    RTAP is committed to expanding access to the teaching profession. By offering a no-cost pathway through full-time employment with job-embedded learning and wrap-around supports, RTAP opens doors for individuals who might otherwise be unable to afford traditional teacher preparation programs, creating a more inclusive and equitable education system.

Program Highlights

  • Earn While You Learn: RTAP combines paid, on-the-job training with academic coursework, allowing participants to earn income while working toward their teaching licensure.

  • Mentorship and Support: Each apprentice is paired with an experienced supervising practitioner who provides guidance, feedback, and support throughout the program, as well as a program supervisor from a partner educator preparation provider to support meaningful application of coursework to practice throughout their apprenticeship term.

  • Culturally and Linguistically Sustaining Practices (CLSP): RTAP includes training in culturally and linguistically sustaining practices for both supervising practitioners and apprentices, ensuring that all educators are equipped to meet the needs of diverse student populations.

  • Flexibility: The program is designed to accommodate participants' full-time employment in conjunction with coursework requirements, making it accessible to individuals who are working or have other commitments.

  • Diverse Pathways: Whether you are a recent graduate, a career changer, or a paraprofessional looking to advance, RTAP offers tailored pathways to help you achieve your goals.

Eligibility:

Eligible applicants include Massachusetts public school districts, charter schools, and educational collaboratives partnered with registered Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs), accessible via: Profiles Search. School districts that qualify for Title I and/or 9408 funding and have significant disparities in teacher and student demographic data will receive priority.

Funding Type:

State Line Item 7061-9408
Federal CFDA 84.010

Grant awards are contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act.

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

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

Approximately $2,000,000 is available for this grant, with approximately $2,000,000 of additional funding available for a FY26 continuation grant.

  • Each applicant may apply for:
    FY25 — $50,000, $100,000, $250,000 or $500,000 and can be put towards FY26 activities that go beyond June 30, 2025 in the FY26 budget in GEM$.

Note: Grant awards are contingent upon the availability of state funds.

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 support RTAP implementation activities, including:

  • Mentor Stipends: Providing stipends to mentors who support apprentices throughout the program.

  • Substitutes: Covering the cost of substitutes to allow mentors and school staff to participate in program-related activities.

  • Apprentice Salaries (non-teacher): Funding salaries for apprentices in non-teaching roles as they progress through the program.

  • Contracted Services: Supporting services such as wrap-around supports, MTEL preparation courses, licensure fees, and professional development for mentors and school staff.

  • Tuition and Fees: Covering tuition costs and related expenses for apprentices to complete necessary coursework.

  • Program Coordinator: Funding salaries for program coordinators, including district or Educator Preparation Program (EPP) employees managing program implementation.

  • Marketing and Recruitment Activities: Developing and distributing marketing and promotional materials to increase program visibility and outreach.

  • Data System Development: Building data systems to evaluate apprentice progress and program outcomes.

  • Community Partnerships: Partnering with community organizations to support culturally responsive practices and foster program success.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 6/30/25

The FY25 grant ends on 6/30/25. Funding for FY25 should be used for program marketing/promotion, tuition reimbursement, hiring a program coordinator, financial incentives, etc. Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year(s) 2026 and 2027. Applicants must develop two budgets (one for FY25 and the other for FY26) to be uploaded in GEM$

Program Unit:

Center for Strategic Initiatives

Contact:

EducatorApprenticeships@mass.gov

Date Due:

Friday, March 7th at 5pm*

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

Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP.

All responses must be submitted through proper steps and received by the due date/time listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not received 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.

Application Review and Notification
DESE will review applications within 30 days of submission. During this review period, DESE will evaluate alignment with RTAP programmatic goals and requirements and conduct interviews with applicants. Grant applicants will receive notification upon Commissioner approval.

Additional Information:

Questions and Answers: Any grant-related questions must be submitted no later than Friday, February 11th, 2025, to EducatorApprenticeships@mass.gov . Responses will be posted by Friday, February 14th, 2025. Responses will not be sent directly to the questioner. Applicants can find all questions related to this funding opportunity and DESE's responses on the MA's Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program (RTAP) - Center for Strategic Initiatives

Submission Instructions:

The FY25 FC0221 Registered Teacher Apprenticeship Program Grant will be submitted in our new GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)

New organizations that do not have an established LEA with DESE skip to Step 3.

Step 1: Establish and assign proper roles before the grant due date/time. Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off.

All roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.

Step 2: Submit the grant through all LEA steps in GEM$. There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding:

  • Grantwriter Submitted
  • LEA Fiscal Representative Approved
  • LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved

Competitive grant applications are considered submitted once the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP. Please plan accordingly.

The Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved Step allows for the organization lead to review and approve the grant application. Removing the requirement for the Part I Standard Contract Form, this step signifies Superintendent /Chief Executive sign off. Any grant budget changes requiring signature, will re-execute this step when amended signifying the organization lead is approving these changes.

Step 3: (If applicable) New organizations request temporary organization access. New organizations are entities that have not been established as an LEA in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization established in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.

Temporary Access will need to be created by DESE before you can then assign the proper roles and submit the grant as outlined in Steps 1 and 2.

Failure to provide DESE with GEM$ Temp Organization Access Request 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: February 13, 2025

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