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Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs: FY2018

Massachusetts 21st Century Community Learning Centers - Supporting Additional Learning Time (for new ELT and OST sites)
Fund Code: 647-B1

Purpose:The purpose of this competitive grant program is to support the implementation of out-of-school time (OST) programming and/or Expanded Learning Time (ELT- a longer school day/year for all students) programming. Supported with federal funds, these opportunities will help to close proficiency gaps, increase student engagement, support a well rounded education, support social and emotional learning, and promote college and career readiness and success.
Priorities: The main priority of this grant is to support the thoughtful implementation of engaging approaches to learning during OST and/or ELT that meet the specific academic, social and emotional, and developmental needs of students, and is aligned to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (Department) goals and strategies.

The Department's overarching priorities for supporting additional time through this grant, include:
  • Using more time to implement innovative teaching and learning strategies that are multi-disciplinary and support students in all developmental areas (academic, social and emotional, civic, wellness, etc.).

  • Using more time to implement service-learning and project-based learning that supports core academic areas.

  • Using data effectively in designing programming that addresses student needs and interests.

  • Using data effectively in demonstrating continuous program improvement efforts.

  • Using more time to provide additional opportunities for adults (including school staff, program providers and partners) to participate in collaborative planning and professional development that supports desired student outcomes.

  • Developing systems of support that are culturally competent and relevant to the select population of students and families to be served with these funds.

  • Demonstrate that the activities proposed are not otherwise accessible to students who would be served, or would expand access to high-quality services that may be available in the community.

  • Developing engaging summer programming that addresses summer learning loss and helps students transition successfully into elementary, middle, and high school.

  • Engaging families and building strong school-community partnerships to support student outcomes in all developmental areas as described above.

  • Developing sustainable models for supporting additional quality learning time.

Applicants will implement the above priorities using one of the following models:
  1. Model 1 — Out-of-School Time (OST): Applicants choosing this option must provide at least 400 hours of comprehensive OST programming at a school/site during the school year And summer for a selected population of students. The selected population of students should include those who are economically disadvantaged (ED), receiving special education services, English Language Learners, academically at-risk, and/or who could benefit from the supports provided during the additional learning time.

    Note: Enrolled students are expected to attend regularly and consistently an average of a minimum of 80-100 hours per school year. Drop-in programs are not allowed. Refer to Part IIIB for additional information on attendance requirements.

  2. Model 2 — Expanded Learning Time (ELT): Applicants choosing this option must offer a minimum of 300 expanded learning program hours by:

    1. establishing a school schedule that increases the total number of hours required for all students by a minimum of 180 hours above the amount offered in either school year 2015-2016 (SY16) or 2016-2017 (SY17), and reflects a total of a minimum of 1,245 hours (for elementary schools) and 1,305 hours (for secondary schools); And
    2. providing at least 120 hours of programming during either the summer or school vacation weeks for a selected population of students who could benefit from additional learning time (or the difference between 300 hours and the number of hours added to the school schedule so that the total combined hours offered is at least 300).
Eligibility: Eligible applicants are school districts, cities and towns, community-based organizations (CBOs), other public or private entities, or a consortium of two (2) or more of such agencies, organizations, or entities.

Key Grant Requirements: Applicants must meet at least one (1) of the following criteria:
  • Propose to provide programming to students in schools designated as Title I School-Wide (SW) programs.
    or

  • Propose to serve schools with ≥ (at least) 15 percent of students who are ED, as indicated at the Department's School and District profiles page for 2015-2016 or through other documented evidence and determined by the Local Education Agency (LEA) in need of extra support.

Competitive priority will be given to applicants that:
  • Propose to serve youth from schools/communities with ≥40 percent of students who are ED, as indicated at the Department's School and District profiles page for 2015-2016.

  • Propose to implement more time in a school or in partnership with a school designated as Level 3, 4, or 5 in 2016 under Massachusetts' District and School Accountability and Assistance System.

  • Elementary programs proposing to include Kindergarten (K) in their program model and a summer program that will include rising K (Pre-K transitioning to K).

  • Submit the application in full partnership that includes a school district, and a community-based organization(s) or other public or private organization. An LEA may receive priority points without a partner if they are able to show that they are unable to partner with a community-based organization in a reasonable geographic proximity and of sufficient quality.

  • Propose innovative programming that addresses college and career readiness and success.

For applications under Model 1 (OST) only, competitive priority will also be given to:
  • Applicants that have not previously received 21st CCLC funding.
For applications under Model 2 (ELT) only, competitive priority will also be given to applicants that:
  • Propose to implement service-learning and/or project-based learning as part of core academic time.

  • Applicants in communities that have an open bid process for selecting outside providers to implement OST programming in school buildings must provide a letter of support for the proposed 3-year program from the chair of the school committee.

  • Applications from agencies and organizations other than a school district, city, or town must demonstrate that they will implement more time in full partnership with a public school/district. These applicants will be screened for capacity to administer the program and must complete Addendum B - Documentation of Organizational Capacity, which includes a required letter of support from the school/district. See Required Forms section below.

If choosing Model 1 (OST):
  • Applicants may not request OST funding for schools/sites that currently receive a 21st CCLC OST grant. Refer to for our 21st CCLC web page for a listing of current recipients.
If choosing Model 2 (ELT):
  • Applicants may not request ELT funding for schools that currently receive a 21st CCLC ELT grant. Refer to for our 21st CCLC web page for a listing of current recipients.

  • Applicants may not request funding for schools that are eligible to receive FY18 funding for ELT through the state-funded Expanded Learning Time program.

  • Applicants requesting ELT funds at a school that is eligible to receive FY18 continuation funding for OST through FC 647A must continue to meet all requirements of that existing grant award, including the originally required number of OST hours.

The Department reserves the right to consider additional factors such as geographic distribution and diversity of applicant type in making final award decisions. In addition, for applicants under Model 2 (ELT) that are receiving or applying for School Redesign Grants, the Department will consider the status of both applications in making funding decisions.

Throughout the duration of the grant, recipients are also required to:
  • Offer an ELT and/or OST schedule that meets the minimum number of required hours based on the chosen model. See the Priorities section above for details.
  • Have or commit to having an advisory community council/group that, as one of its functions, advises the grant-funded program(s). It is encouraged that this group consider/coordinate the full-scope of opportunities for additional learning time (including ELT and/or OST) in the community in order to maximize resources and avoid duplication of effort. Membership of the council/group must be representative of the school district boundaries, community, and populations to be served.
  • Designate a part- or full-time coordinator whose primary role is to oversee administration and implementation of this grant.
  • Attend required trainings and implement Department-designated program evaluation tools.
  • Attend required training on and implement a minimum of one service-learning project and/or project-based learning project each year.
  • Submit required reporting by the due dates posted (including student data and narrative).
  • Note: It is also recommended that at least five (5) percent of the total budget is set aside to support family involvement. This may include a part-time Family Engagement/Outreach Liaison if one does not currently exist.
Planning Resources: See Addendum A — Grant Assurances in the Required Forms section below for additional grant requirements.

Allowable Activities: Allowable activities include, but are not limited to, the following:
  • Service Learning (SL) & Project Based Learning (PBL)

  • Drug and Violence Prevention Programs

  • Counseling Programs

  • Creative Arts including Art, Theater, Music, Dance

  • Nutrition and Health Education/Wellness Programs

  • Financial and Environmental Literacy

  • STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

  • Blended Learning

  • Career and Technical Programs, Internship or Apprenticeship Programs, and other ties to an in-demand industry sector or occupation for high school students that are designed to reinforce and complement the regular academic program of participating students.

  • Opportunities for credit recovery, if they do not currently exist, utilizing creative approaches such as PBL or SL.

  • Offer families of students served by the 21st CCLC opportunities for active and meaningful engagement in their children's education, including opportunities for literacy and related educational development.


Funding Type: Federal CFDA: 84.287

Funding: A total of approximately $2,000,000 is projected to be available. The final total amount available is subject to federal budget appropriation.
  • Applicants may not request funding for the same school/site under both Model 1 (OST) and Model 2 (ELT).

Maximum number of new school(s)/site(s) for which an applicant may apply:
  • Two (2) Schools/Sites — Districts/communities with ≥40% of students who are ED. (Using 2015-2016 ED information of the district which the majority of students to be served attend.)

  • One (1) School/Site — Districts/communities with <40% of students who are ED.

An applicant may apply for:
Model 1 (OST):
  • Up to $150,000 per site — (For sites that will serve approximately 40-60+ students per day.)

  • Up to $125,000 per site — (For sites that will serve approximately 20-39 students per day.)

  • Please note all sites must meet attendance requirements detailed in Part IIIB.

Model 2 (ELT):
  • Up to $500 per pupil, based on the current (FY16) enrollment at the proposed school(s), plus up to an additional $20,000 to support a 120 hour summer or school vacation week program (if proposing to implement a summer/school vacation week component). The grant request should support the enhancement or addition of engaging academic enrichment and/or intervention.

  • The applicant must demonstrate a plan to support other anticipated costs associated with implementing a longer school day that will not be covered using grant funds. These costs can be covered using a variety of sources including, but not limited to: Title I, local funds, existing state or federal grants, etc.

Per federal requirements, the minimum grant award amount is $50,000.

The requested amount should be appropriate and reasonable for the size and scope of the proposed activities.

Fund Use: Funds may be used to support salaries, stipends, contracts, instructional materials, and other expenses associated with implementing grant funded programming. No more than 10% of the funds may be used for materials and supplies and no more than 25% for program administration.

These funds may not be used to supplant existing, currently funded 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.).

Model 1 (OST) applicants with an existing OST program must use the funds from this grant to expand and/or support enhanced or new programming for students. These funds cannot be used for the purpose of providing scholarships for students to attend OST programs.

Model 2 (ELT) applicants must identify specific enrichment and/or intervention components of the proposed longer day, aligned to the Elements of Content-Rich 21st CCLC Programming that will be supported through this grant.

It is expected that all applicants are developing plans to ensure that the activities and initiatives that are supported through these funds will be sustained beyond the grant period.

Applicants are encouraged to set aside funds to send a representative to the two-day 21st CCLC Summer Institute typically held in July (2018), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. Conference participants are responsible for airfare, hotel and other travel-related expenses which may be covered through the aforementioned grant-budgeted funds.

Indirect Costs: Any entity that wishes to include indirect costs in the budget request must have a 2018 approved rate from the Department/State.
  • Districts/schools requesting indirect costs must use their current approved rate.

  • For community based entities that have a 2018 approved indirect cost rate no more than 5% may be budgeted for indirect costs (line 9 on the budget).

  • Applicants that do not have an approved indirect cost rate may apply to the Department for one. This rate is only for grants issued by the Department and is not to be considered as an overall indirect cost rate to be used with any other funding sources. For access a list of approved rates or download an application, visit Essential Information webpage.

Project Duration: Upon approval (no earlier than 09/01/2017) - 08/31/2018

Pending budget appropriation, continuation of funding will be available for a total grant period of three (3) years (FY18-FY20).

Continued funding in years two (FY19) and three (FY20) will be contingent upon implementation of grant-required activities and demonstrating the following:
  • the ability to use data to inform and support continuous improvement;

  • maintenance of grant-funded program attendance levels (for OST and summer programming);

  • evidence that the grantee is working toward sustaining programming beyond the grant period; and

  • Annual submission of required information including mid-year and end-of-year report/reapplication.

Program Unit:Office of Student and Family Support
Contact:Karyl Resnick
Allison Smith

Phone Number:781-338-3010
Required Prior to Grant Submission: The following activities must be completed prior to grant submission:

Department Notification of Intent to Applydue Friday, April 7, 2017 utilizing the link above.

The following information is requested:
  • Applicant
  • School(s)/Site(s) to be included in the proposal
  • Proposed model for adding time at each included school/site

Important Note: Submission of the Intent to Apply does not obligate the applicant to submit a proposal.
  1. Community Notification of Intent to Apply
    Federal law requires that applicants for grants under the 21st CCLC program must notify their community of their intent to apply, in a timely manner prior to submission of the proposal, and if awarded funding, disseminate information, about the 21st CCLC program to the community in a manner that is understandable and accessible. Applicants must submit confirmation of/plans for these notifications using Addendum D — Documentation of Community Notification (see Required Forms section below).

  2. Consultation with Non-Public Schools
    In accordance with the Elementary and Secondary Education Act's (ESEA) Title IX Part E, Uniform Provisions, Subpart I — Private Schools, (similar to the Title I requirement) applicants must consult in a timely and meaningful way with private school officials within the geographic community proposed to be served, during the design and development of the 21st CCLC program, on issues such as how the private school students' and teachers' needs will be identified, and what services may be offered. Any services provided to private schools must be secular, neutral, and non-ideological.

    Applicants must document this timely and meaningful consultation, as well as any resulting agreements, and must submit confirmation of this consultation using Addendum C — Documentation of Consultation Regarding Non-Public School Participation (see Required Forms section below). For more information, see the U.S. Department of Education's Non-Regulatory Guidance.

Date Due: Intent to Apply due: Friday, April 7, 2017
Full Proposals Due: Friday, May 5, 2017
See the Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

Required Forms:
Download Excel Document
Part I / Part II — General Program Unit Signature Page (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants) / Budget Workbook
Note: Applicants must submit a signature page and budget/budget narrative for school year (upon approval - 6/30/2018) and summer (7/1/2018 - 8/31/2018) activities/expenditures, worksheets for each can be found in the Part I / Part II Excel workbook.
Download Word Document
Part III-A — Required Program Information — District (Submit one per lead applicant; a portion of this document must also be submitted online — please see Submission Instructions below.)
Download Word Document
Part III-B — Required Program Information — School/Site (Submit one per proposed school/site; a portion of this document must also be submitted online — please see Submission Instructions below.)
Download Word Document
Addendum A — Grant Assurances
Download Word Document
Addendum B — Documentation of Organizational Capacity (For lead applicants that are not a public school district only)
Download Word Document
Addendum C — Documentation of Consultation with Non-Public Schools
Download Word Document
Addendum D — Documentation of Community Notification
Download Word Document
Addendum E — SAYO Outcomes Selection and APT Information
Additional Information:
  • Questions and Information Sessions: Due to the competitive nature of this grant program, all questions about the Funding Opportunity documents and process will be addressed during Grant Information Sessions and Webinars.
  • A Technical Assistance (TA) Session for interested applicants was held on Friday March 3, 2017 at the Hilton Garden Inn at Devens Commons. Dates for additional webinars can be found on the online registration page.
  • Questions may be emailed in advance of the webinars to cclc@doe.mass.edu (with the subject: FC647-B1 Question) or asked during the session(s).
  • Guidance for completing Grant Budget Request — Section IIB of the Grants for Schools: Getting Them and Using Them, A Procedural Manual provides guidance for completing the required budget workbook.
  • 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 Grants Awards webpage. All applicants not selected for funding will be provided with information about the process for requesting feedback about their application. See the Note Regarding Competitive Grant Awards at the bottom of the 21st CCLC Funding Webpage and the Department's formal appeal process for more information.
Submission Instructions: Department Intent to Apply — Due April 7, 2017 — Submit Intent to Apply following the instructions provided above in the Required Prior to Grant Submission section.

Full Proposals — Due May 5, 2017:
  • Submit one (1) original hard copy of all required forms (Parts I, II, IIIA, IIIB and Addenda A-E) collated and unstapled to be copied and distributed to reviewers.

  • Submit electronically one (1) complete set of all required documents, in their original Word or Excel formats (e.g., not converted to a PDF);

  • Submit a signed original scanned version (PDF) of the Part I signature page, for the school year and summer.

  • If applicant is applying for ELT and OST sites must submit separate budgets for each model (ELT and OST).

Proposal Specifications: Each proposal must be submitted in the format outlined below. Please use the following as a checklist in assembling a completed proposal:
  • Pages must be 8.5" x 11" with 1" margins on the top, bottom, and printed single sided;

  • Font must be no smaller then Arial 10 point;

  • Pages must be consecutively numbered;

  • Supplementary materials such as publications, press clippings, testimonial letters, and newsletters, other than information requested in this RFP, will not be considered as part of the review.

Submissions should be sent according to the above instructions as follows:

Mail hard copy to:
Karyl Resnick
Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
21st Century Community Learning Centers Program
75 Pleasant Street
Malden, MA 02148

E-mail electronic copy to: cclc@doe.mass.edu

All electronic submissions must be received by the Department no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 5, 2017. Hard copies must be postmarked by the due date.

Awarded Recipients: Upon award, recipients will be required to enter the approved budget and Part I in EdGrants. Once selected, recipients will be contacted with further instructions on the process.