Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2021: After-School and Out-of-School Time Quality Enhancements (ASOST-Q)

Fund Code: 530

Purpose:

The goal of this state funded competitive grant program is to enhance after-school and out-of-school time (ASOST*) programs and services to improve the academic, physical, social, and emotional wellness of school-age youth.

*ASOST is inclusive of before-school, after-school, vacation and summer programming as well as extensions to remote learning enrichment center/program hours beyond school time.

Priorities:

The main priorities for this grant are to improve the quality of ASOST programs and services by supporting:

Activities that enhance one or more of the quality criteria areas outlined in the Guidelines for Quality Enhancements in After-School and Out-of-School Time (see Additional Information) (Category A — Quality Enhancements);
Regional and statewide professional development (PD), which may include networking opportunities, for other ASOST providers (Category B — Regional or Statewide PD/Networking); and

Competitive Priority (for Category A) will be given to:

Proposals developed collaboratively by public and non-public schools and private community-based programs. In order to receive this competitive priority, a letter of support from the partnership entities not serving as the lead applicant must be included. The letter should provide specific details on the collaboration.
Proposals that include in-person programming. Note: While virtual/remote programming is allowed with these grant funds, proposals that include in-person programming that meets Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE, or Department) or Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) COVID-19 guidance will be awarded competitive priority.
Proposals that add enhancements specifically to support the recovery of academic, social-emotional, and health/wellness skills and enrichment opportunities impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This may include but is not limited to acceleration academiesⁱ, drop out reengagement efforts, and elementary/middle/high school transition support.
Proposals from programs that are actively working on program quality enhancements as part of the EEC mixed-delivery system. The mixed-delivery system includes licensed, license-exempt, and public school-based ASOST programs. To receive this competitive priority, selected grantees must agree to complete and submit a Continuous Quality Improvement Plan (CQIP) to their EEC Program Quality Specialist during the grant period.

Eligibility:

Massachusetts public school districts, non-public schools, and public and private community-based organizations (CBOs) organizations with experience running ASOST programs (Category A) or providing professional development to Massachusetts ASOST programs (Category B) are eligible.

Please Note: All applicants other than public school districts, cities or towns must demonstrate the capacity to administer grant funding through:

Proven fiscal responsibility as demonstrated, for example, through an annual audit; and
Previous experience with similar amounts of funding from government (state/federal/local), foundation, or private grants.

Funding Type:

State

Funding:

Approximately $7,000,000 is available through the state After-School and Out-of-School Grants line item 7061-9611.

An entity may submit ONE application under only ONE of the following categories for:

Category A: Up to $50,000 for one site, or up to $80,000 for two or more sites to support program quality enhancements (during the school year and/or summer) at existing ASOST sites.
Category B: Up to $30,000 to support regional or statewide professional development, which includes networking opportunities, for other ASOST providers.

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 to support activities that enhance programs as outlined in this Funding Opportunity RFP.

Budget expenditures may include, but are not limited to the following:

Staff and coordinator salaries related to the quality enhancement;
COVID-19 costs needed to comply with DESE or EEC guidance;
Professional development (PD) activities that meet Massachusetts Standards for PD;
Stipends for staff involved in the delivery of services;
Activities to promote family engagement;
Additional costs associated with serving students with disabilities and/or students who are English learners;
Activities to promote cultural responsiveness and equity;
Activities to support program evaluation;
Program materials and supplies related to quality enhancement; and
Transportation. (Please note: vehicles may not be purchased with these funds.)

General notes on fund use (applicable to applicants in all categories):

Funds from this grant may not be used to support tuition for individual participants; and
Indirect costs are not allowable.

Project Duration:

Upon approval – 08/31/2021 and pending budget appropriation, continuation of funding will be available in fiscal year 2021-2022 (FY2022) for a total grant period of one and a half years. Eligibility for funding FY2022 is based on meeting grant requirements and submission of year-end report and continuation grant.

Program Unit:

Office of Student and Family Support

Contact:

Allison Smith

Phone Number:

781-338-3232

Date Due:

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

See the Submission Instructions section below for additional details.

Required Forms:

Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — Standard Contract Form for School Year (if applicable)

Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — Standard Contract Form for School Summer

Part II — Budget Category A

Part II — Budget Category B

Part III — Required Program Information

Grant Assurances

Additional Information:

Guidelines for Quality Enhancements in After-School and Out-of-School Time

A grant-end report is required for all Categories. Details to be sent to awarded recipients at the end of the grant cycle. In addition, throughout the duration of the grant, the following are required of all recipients of the respective category:

Category A: Quality Enhancements

Implement DESE required program evaluation tool (see Part III for more details) to be used to support continuous program improvement.

Category B: Regional or Statewide PD/Networking

Provide PD that may include networking opportunities to meet identified needs of the ASOST field, particularly but not limited to those receiving ASOST-Q Category A funding, and provide the Department with a schedule and registration information that the Department will distribute to ASOST-Q grantees and other ASOST providers (as appropriate).

Submission Instructions:

Submit the following required information by email on the due date noted above to asost@mass.gov:

Excel version of the Part II- Budget
Word document of the Part III — Program Information
Scanned pdf copy with original signatures of both the Part I — Signature Page and the Grant Assurances

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

ⁱ DESE seeks applications to implement an expanded, minimum 4-week version of the Acceleration Academy model during summer 2021 to accelerate the learning of students most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. While Acceleration Academy programs traditionally take place during school vacation weeks and provide students between 20–25 hours of learning in one subject area, an expanded summer Acceleration Academy program will provide between 80–100 instructional hours in one subject area which is roughly equivalent to four months of instruction. More information on Acceleration Academies here: Evidence-Based Programs for the 2019 MA Student Opportunity Act .

Last Updated: February 2, 2021