FY2022: Early College Support Grant

Fund Code: 460

Purpose:

The purpose of the targeted grant is to provide support resources to both Early College Designation applicants (those who are advanced to Part B) and current Designated Early College programs. K–12 institutions are intended to be the lead education agency and the resources are intended to support both the secondary school partner and the institute of higher education (IHE) partner in the development and sustainment of Early College work.

Priorities:

Priorities for this grant include, but are not limited to:

Creating strategies to target and serve students traditionally underserved in higher education. Such students may include: students who may be the first in their family to go to college, students of color, students who may be English language learners, students with disabilities, low-income students, or students who may otherwise not yet possess a perception that they may be a college going student.

Develop a widespread supportive school culture around postsecondary access and success. This includes promoting higher education through awareness activities, scheduling Early College courses during the school day, arranging transportation and textbook acquisition, and ensuring students have support services available.

Building capacity and bringing Early College programs to scale ensuring that students are strongly supported in their Early College pathways. Programs should specifically address how they will implement supports to help students overcome barriers to postsecondary access and success.

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

Eligibility:

This grant provides three different options of support to Early College programs. Option A is for Part B applicants require planning funds to support the completion of their application. Option B is for programs who were recently Designated and require implementation funds. Option C is for all other Designees (those in Year 2 or beyond) who require continuing support funds sustain or grow capacity in their designated Early College programs in an equitable manner.

Option A :For planning support, this grant targets Early College Partnerships who have applied for designation in FY22 to begin programming in FY23 and have been advanced to complete Part B of the Designation application. Eligible partnerships will have met the requirements outlined under "Planning" Guiding Principles 1 through 5 as outlined in the Designation Application Companion 2021 document.

Option B: For implementation support, this grant targets Early College Partnerships who were approved for Designation after January 2021 to begin programming in FY22. This list of Partnerships is available online.

Option C: For continuing support, this grant targets Early College Partnerships who were approved for Designation before January 2021. This list of Partnerships is available online.

Note: Those programs qualifying for Option A will be Designation applicants who submitted Part A due August 31, 2021 and who will be notified the week of October 1 2021 as to whether they are advancing to Part B of the application and eligible for this opportunity. For Option B and C: The complete list of MA Designated Early College Partnerships, which are eligible for implementation support, or other support funds, is available here: Early College Designees - College, Career and Technical Education (doe.mass.edu).

Funding Type:

State

Funding:

Option A: Up to approximately $30,000 is available per partnership. Only Designation applicants advancing to Part B are eligible.

Option B: Up to approximately $60,000. Only Programs designated after January 2021 to launch in Fall 2021 are eligible.

Option C: Up to approximately $30,000 per Designated high school. Only Designated Early College partnerships approved for Designation prior to January 2021 are eligible.

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:

Targeted funds from the state will help the applicants and Designees build or sustain capacity in their designated Early College programs in an equitable manner. As part of Designation, all programs are required to adhere to a set of assurances which include meeting reported goals on students served and college credits attempted; upholding the MA Early College guiding principles; and providing college coursework, advising, and, provide any student supports needed to ensure students will have the resources required to be successful. This set of assurances, which designated programs are required to complete, is available online at Early College FY21 Funding Assurances.

This grant cannot be applied towards the secondary school's capital expenses.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 06/30/2022

Program Unit:

Early College Office

Contact:

Kristin Hunt , Early College Director

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3310

Date Due:

For Option B and C (Currently Designated Programs) Date Due: Wednesday September 22, 2021

For Option A: (Part B Applicants) Date Due: Friday, October 15, 2021

Required Forms:

• Part I — General — Program Unit Signature Page — (Standard Contract Form and Application for Program Grants)

Additional Information:

A narrative evaluation of the overall effectiveness of the program is requested by the Department - to be submitted after the end of the program (and by July 31, 2022).

Submission Instructions:

Submit all required grant materials through EdGrants

In EdGrants, districts are required to create and name the project. Please use the following naming convention for your "Applicant Project Name" in EdGrants:

• FY22 FC460 Early College Support Grant
  Applicant Name

All items listed under the required forms section of this RFP should be uploaded / attached in the Attachments List formlet of the Application Submission in EdGrants. This includes a signed / scanned PDF of Part I / Coversheet with Superintendent's signature as well as Schedule A form, if applicable to your district. The final budget the applicant is requesting will be entered directly into EdGrants as part of the application submission process.

For Guidance Documents regarding EdGrants, visit EdGrants: User Guides and Information.

Please note: It is up to the district to determine who they want to add as EdGrants Front Office users in order to submit grant application as well as payment request information. Please review the EdGrants: User Security Controls to make informed decisions regarding assigning your district level users.

Last Updated: September 15, 2021