FY2023: Career and Technical Education Partnership Grant

Fund Code: 412

Purpose:

The purpose of this competitive Career and Technical Education (CTE) Partnership Grant is to support regional and local partnerships to expand existing and/or develop new CTE programs and initiatives that increase student access to CTE opportunities, primarily through more effective use and integration of existing capacity and resources. Services provided are to supplement currently funded local, state, and federal programs.

Please Note: This competitive grant opportunity is not intended to fund Innovation Pathways. There are other funds dedicated for that initiative.

This grant opportunity is also not intended to fund the development of new Chapter 74 state-approved vocational technical education programs.

Priorities:

Priority will be given to applicants that:

• Provide students access to Chapter 74 level programming at vocational technical education districts serving Gateway Cities^* where access to admittance into the regional vocational technical high school that serves that Gateway City is limited by oversubscription relative to capacity.
• Can demonstrate success in providing high-quality Chapter 74 state-approved vocational technical education programs.
• Establish and implement program models and action plans that will increase student seats and access to Career Technical Education (CTE) training for jobs that are in demand and aligned with current labor market data.
• Demonstrate current and future active collaboration with secondary and postsecondary as well as industry and workforce development partners.
• Convene regional/local partners to expand existing and/or develop new CTE programs and initiatives that increase student access to CTE opportunities.
• Leverage the use of existing resources among the participating partners, to maximize capacity, impact, and sustainability.
• Serve traditionally underserved populations.
• Provide students with a sequence of courses that will lead to technical skill proficiency, an industry-recognized credential, and/or an associate degree.
• Propose a concrete strategy for sustainability as an educational option for students upon conclusion of Implementation funding.
• Propose new or expanded partnerships.

Eligibility:

Eligible applicants include school districts, school consortia, educational collaboratives and community colleges. Please identify and indicate in the application which partner will serve as project lead for this initiative.

Partner agencies may include employers, other publicly funded educational institutions, workforce development boards, or community-based organizations that provide publicly funded educational services but cannot include private proprietary schools or private postsecondary institutions. Applicants must submit a Schedule C to identify proposed partners in this planning grant.

Applicants may pursue funding to plan or to implement a CTE Partnership, but Implementation awards are not contingent on prior receipt of Planning Grant funding.

Please note that DESE will consider applications from previous recipients of CTE Partnership Planning and/or Implementation funding.

Application Requirements:

The Lead Applicant must submit the application through a submission portal.

The application consists of online responses and uploads of specific documents listed below. Additional attachments are permitted but will not factor into final scoring.

Funding Type:

State

Funding:

Eligible applicants may apply for funds for one (1) planning grant and/or one (1) implementation grant. DESE anticipates that the total amount available will be up to $2,500,000, contingent on funding availability and proposal quality.

Maximum Individual award amounts for planning grants will be $15,000.

Maximum Individual award amounts for implementation grants will be based on per pupil costs to operate proposed programs.

The state-funded Career and Technical Education Program (FY23 appropriation 7035-0001) is the funding source for these grants.

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 the RFP document.

Please Note: This competitive grant opportunity is not intended to fund Innovation Pathways. There are other funds dedicated for that initiative.

This grant opportunity is also not intended to fund the development of new Chapter 74 state-approved vocational technical education programs.

Fund Use:

Grant funds must be used to plan or implement programs/activities/initiatives that will increase student seats and student access to CTE pathways/programs, particularly for underserved populations and students residing in Gateway Cities where the regional vocational technical high school serving that Gateway City is oversubscribed. All implementation activities must be appropriate and consistent with all applicable state and federal requirements.

Planning funds may be used for:

• Stipends to support convening and planning;
• Consultant and contract fees to provide planning-related professional development; and
• Other costs that are negotiated with the Department.

Implementation funds may be used for:

• Staffing costs necessary to implement the proposed program/activity;
• Consultant and contract fees necessary to implement the proposed program/activity;
• Supplies and equipment necessary to implement the program;
• Transportation costs that are not otherwise reimbursed via the regional school transportation program (subject to Massachusetts legislative appropriation); and
• Other costs that are negotiated with the Department.

Grantees may not use funds to supplant local resources.

Final Report:

Recipients will be required to submit a final report on or before September 30, 2023, via the online application submission portal referenced elsewhere in this request for proposals. The final report must include:

Planning

• The outcomes of the planning process; and
• How the funds were used.

Implementation

• A summary of implementation outcomes, including the number of seats added; expected long-term program outcomes; and potential for replication;
• Challenges encountered during implementation;
• Any plans to institutionalize, continue or scale up the program or project;
• A description of the how the implementation grant addressed the ten (10) priorities identified in this Request for Proposals;
• What support/resources might be necessary to replicate or expand these programs/activities; and
• How the grantee used the funds.

Project Duration:

Project duration will be based on grant submission.

Upon approval (but no earlier than July 1, 2022) – June 30, 2023

All funds must be obligated, and activities completed, by June 30, 2023, with a final report completed by September 30, 2023.

Program Unit:

Office for College, Career, and Technical Education

Contact:

Larry DeSalvatore

Phone Number:

(781) 338-3953

Date Due:

There are two competitive rounds for this grant funding.

Round 1: Completed grant proposals must be submitted to the Department via an online portal by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 15, 2022.

Round 2: Completed grant proposals must be submitted to the Department via an online portal by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 28, 2022.

Required Forms:

As part of the online submission, applicants will upload the following forms:

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

• Part II — Budget Detail Pages (Include both pages)

• Schedule C — Statement of Participation and Support

• Signed letters of commitment from any partners (to be provided by applicant)

• Part III — Required Program Information is embedded in the online submission form.

Submission Instructions:

Grant applications are submitted via an online submission portal.

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

*The Massachusetts Legislature defines 26 Gateway Cities in the Commonwealth: Attleboro, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.

Last Updated: March 15, 2022