Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2025: Safe and Supportive Schools Competitive Grant

Fund Code: 0335

Purpose:

The purpose of this state funded competitive grant program is to provide funding to school districts (and their selected schools) to organize, integrate, and sustain school and district-wide efforts to create safe and supportive school environments. Additionally, this grant is designed to coordinate and align student support initiatives based on grantee's findings from completing the Safe and Supportive Schools (SaSS) Framework and Self-Reflection Tool* (SaSS Tool).

*The SaSS (originally Behavioral Health and Public Schools — BHPS) Framework and Self-Reflection Tool was created by the BHPS Taskforce and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (Department), pursuant to Section 19 of Chapter 321 of the Acts of 2008. The resource is periodically updated in consultation with the Safe and Supportive Schools Commission (Commission).

Priorities:

The main priorities for this grant are to help ensure that each participating school creates an equitable, safe, positive, healthy, culturally-competent, and inclusive whole-school learning environment for all students, and makes effective use of a system for integrating services and aligning initiatives that promote students' behavioral health and wellness, through one of two grant options:

Option One: Action Planning
These grantees will convene a school team composed of various stakeholders (e.g., including but not limited to teachers, nurses, counselors, family members, students, etc.) to review and respond to the questions in the SaSS Tool and to create an action plan based on the responses to the Tool.*
Option Two: Action Plan Implementation and Providing Support
1. These grantees will begin or continue to implement school-focused action plans (and associated district-support plans) that were created in prior year(s), i.e., during or before school year 2022-2023. Implementation activities may include but are not limited to development of school-based models for coordinated support of students in need, implementation of research-based educational programs that are proven to prevent substance use and misuse, activities that address and reduce substance use related problems, and/or development of information systems to help identify students at risk, track interventions and evaluate progress and outcomes.
2. These grantees will also serve as supports for Option One grantees; other new SaSS Tool users; schools and districts that are new to implementation; as well as the Department, Commission, and others as needed and appropriate.*

Both options also prioritize developmentally appropriate input from students who are reflective of the school population.

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

*Please see Attachment A: Option One and Option Two Additional Information for more details about priorities and grant activities for each option.

Eligibility:

Massachusetts public school districts and educational collaboratives* are eligible to apply for funding.

Each applicant may only apply for one of the two options detailed above (Option One: Action Planning Or Option Two: Action Plan Implementation and Support).

Note: Former Fund Code (FC) 335 grantees are among the entities eligible to apply for either of the above options, provided the specific requirements are met for the schools to be included in the application under that option. For Option 1: Action Planning, former FC 335 grantees may apply for schools that have not yet utilized the SaSS Self-Reflection Tool and used it to inform action planning.

*Please see Attachment B for more information about Collaborative eligibility

Funding Type:

State: 7061-9612

Funding:

Pending appropriation, approximately $282,000 is expected to be available to support these grants.

Applicants may apply for up to $20,000 total, with a maximum of $10,000 per school under Option One: Action Planning.

Applicants may apply for up to $10,000 per district under Option Two: Implementation and Support.

Reminder: Applicants may only apply for one option. It is anticipated* that approximately 75% of the funds will be awarded through Option One: Action Planning, and approximately 25% through Option Two: Implementation and Support.

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.

*Additional factors:

Priority points will be given to:
- Districts with schools that have received a preliminary identification in the Rethinking Discipline Initiative
- Approximately 30 percent of the total amount available to award is available for applicant schools and districts in chronically underperforming status.
The Department may consider factors such as geographic distribution when making awards.
Grant awards shall be prioritized to applications that include a process for developmentally appropriate input from students who are reflective of the school population.
Should additional funds become available, the Department may redistribute those funds in an equitable manner among other awarded grantees or to applicants who were not initially awarded grant funds.

Fund Use:

Option One: Action Planning
These funds must be used to support the development of action plans that incorporate all six lever areas of the SaSS Tool upon completion of the SaSS self-reflection.*

Option Two: Implementation and Support
These funds must be used to implement action plans that incorporate all six lever areas of the SaSS Tool, as submitted with the application. These funds must also be used for leadership efforts associated with support activities. *

All applicants
All applicants may consider partnering with consultants to help facilitate the action planning and/or implementation process.

All applicants may also consider partnering with community-based organizations including early childhood education and after-school or out-of-school time providers for alignment and collaboration.

Funds cannot be used for: electronics (such as iPads, computers, tablets, etc.) or construction.

*See Attachment A: Option One and Option Two Additional Information for more details on fund use.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 6/30/2025

Pending appropriation and the meeting of all grant requirements, ALL grantees will be eligible for a one-year continuation grant in Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 (upon approval - 6/30/26) to support implementation of the action plan developed through this FY2025 grant and to continue implementation and support activities. Eligibility for this continuation grant is contingent upon submission of the required action plans or implementation status reports and a continuation application, and funding availability.

Program Unit:

Student and Family Support

Contact:

Emily Taylor

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6313

Date Due:

Thursday, June 20, 2024 — 5:00 p.m.*

Second Due Date: Friday July 12, 2024 5:00 p.m.*

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 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.

Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the Superintendent / Chief Executive approves the grant application 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 listed in the RFP.

Additional Information:

Questions and Information Webinar
Due to the competitive nature of this grant program, all questions about the Funding Opportunity documents and process will be addressed during the Grant Information Webinar and Q & A sessions. Please see online registration form for more details about the optional sessions. Friday, June 14 from 8:30–9:30, Monday, June 17 from 3:00–4:00, Thursday, June 20 from 8:30–9:30
Please use the Option 1 Application Planning Template or the Option 2 Application Planning Template to draft your program narrative. While these may be used as a planning and organizing tool, responses to the questions in Part III must be submitted through GEM$ in order to be reviewed. The following will be required to be submitted or uploaded directly into GEM$ (see submission instructions below):
- Assurance Statement (uploaded)
- Budget (entered into the GEM$ Budget Form)
- Program Narrative (entered into GEM$ Form)
- Option Two only: Action Plan - Attach a previously completed Safe and Supportive Schools action plan aligned with the implementation activities proposed in Part III. (uploaded)
Program Evaluation and Professional Development
Grantees are expected to participate in professional development (e.g., conferences, webinars, and/or regional events, etc.) to be held by the Department, as well as in an evaluation of this grant program. In addition, the Department and Safe and Supportive Schools Commission will use feedback from grantees to inform continuous improvements to the Framework and Tool. Details will be provided to all grantees once information is confirmed.
Attachment A: Option One and Option Two Additional Information
Provides additional information and clarification about the priorities and fund use for each option of the grant.
Attachment B: Collaborative Eligibility
Provides additional information and clarification about the eligibility of collaboratives.

GEM$ Submission Instructions:

The FY25 FC 0335 Safe and Supportive Schools Competitive grant will be submitted in our new Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). GEM$ 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$)

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.

New Organizations: 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 (Emily Taylor for this grant) issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.

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.

Please Note: 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 these 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.

Last Updated: August 29, 2024