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.
DESE seeks to fund proposals that:
Competitive priority in the scoring process will also be given to:
All Massachusetts Local Education Agencies (districts, charter schools, and Collaboratives) are eligible to apply. LEAs that received funds via the FY24 FC215 Genocide Education Continuation Grant are eligible to apply as long as their application explains why the additional funds are necessary to support their project.
Curriculum Data Collection: In order to be eligible for this grant, districts must have completed their LEAs Curriculum Data Collection. The data should be viewable and up to date here: Curriculum Data - ELA Statewide Report. Directions about the expectations and how to provide the data can be found here: Curriculum Data Collection.
Trust
Approximately $1,250,000 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.
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.
This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.
LEAs may propose initiatives in one or more of the following categories:
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
FY24: Upon Approval (no earlier than 07/01/2023) – 06/30/2024 FY25: Upon Approval (no earlier than 07/01/2024) – 06/30/2025
Applicants may choose to expend their funds solely within FY24, solely within FY25, or split their funds across FY24 and FY25.
Office of Literacy and HumanitiesCenter for Instructional Support
Rebekah Judson
Friday, December 15, 2023
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. 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.
If applying solely for FY24, please submit:
FY24 Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)
Part II — Budget Details (just FY24 tab)
Part III — Required Program Information
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).
If applying to split funds across FY24 and FY25, please submit:
FY25 Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)
Part II — Budget Details (both FY24 and FY25 tabs)
If applying solely for FY25 please submit:
Part II — Budget Details (just FY25 tab)
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.
Evaluation — DESE will be collaborating with a third-party, independent evaluator to learn more about genocide education across the state and the impact of the Genocide Education Grant. DESE will share the names and contact information from districts who receive the grant. However, participation in research activities is optional.
DESE will analyze the statewide data collected for research purposes. Analyses will only be reported in the aggregate (e.g., by grade-level, region, etc.) or anonymized in order to meet state and federal confidentiality laws. The identities of districts and schools will not be reported, and all reporting will protect the identities of students, educators, schools, and districts.
DESE may also share the names and contact information from districts who apply for, but do not receive, the grant with this evaluation partner; it is possible that some or all of these districts may also be contacted as part of the evaluation process.
Please email the required documents as listed below, attached to a single email, to cisgrants@mass.gov using the subject line: FC215a – [District Name] – Genocide Education Grant. Please use the provided filetypes, and note that signature pages must be sent as pdf documents.
If applying solely for FY24:
If applying to split funds across FY24 and FY25:
If applying solely for FY25:
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 Wednesday, November 22nd. Responses to questions will be posted on this page by Wednesday, November 29th.
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 FY2024 in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.
Last Updated: November 3, 2023
Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education 135 Santilli Highway, Everett, MA 02149
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