In 2022, DESE released Appleseeds: Evidence-Based Foundational Skills for Massachusetts, a complete package of instructional materials for reading foundational skills in Kindergarten through Grade 2.
This targeted grant will support LEAs to fully implement the full suite of Appleseeds materials for reading foundational skills through purchase of consumable student materials necessary for implementation and professional learning and support for educators, leaders, and literacy coaches from a DESE-approved Appleseeds PD provider.
DESE seeks to award Appleseeds Materials and Professional Development grants to entities that:
This targeted grant is intended for FY25 Appleseeds participants who indicated a desire for professional development support in FY26. The eligible districts include:
Curriculum Data must be up to date on DESE District Profiles by the time of the grant due date. To check if this information is complete, check the statewide Curriculum report. Or, visit your District Profiles page via Profiles Home, and select Curriculum Data from the left-hand navigation. If the required data is not complete or up-to-date, details and directions on how to enter or update this data can be found at Curriculum Data Collection page.
State Line Item 7010-0033
The receipt of grant funds is contingent upon the grantee being able to certify that it will comply with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act. Compliance with the MBTA Communities Act is determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.
There is approximately $700,000 available for districts/schools, pending appropriation. Recipients will need to provide detailed cost information to DESE to demonstrate compliance with grant priorities and approved fund uses in order to draw down funds over the grant period.
This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds. 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 targeted grant will provide funding for:
Following the grant period, recipients are expected to continue implementing the materials and practices initiated by this grant. Eligible districts are able to apply for a certain amount based on size, populations served, and the phase of Appleseeds implementation. Please see the Appleseeds Budgeting Guide for details.
Upon Approval (No Earlier than 7/1/2025)* – June 30, 2026
*Grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable Application Submission as directed in this RFP's Submission Instructions. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to Grants receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date.
Office of Literacy and HumanitiesCenter for Instructional Support (CIS)
Linda Sewnarine
781-338-6242
Wednesday, June 27, 2025, at 5:00 p.m.
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.
Curriculum Data Collection: In order to be eligible for this grant, districts must have completed Curriculum Data Collection for ELA/literacy, Mathematics, STE, and History/Social Science. The data should be viewable and up to date at Curriculum Data page. Directions about the expectations and how to provide the data can be found at Curriculum Data Collection page.
Universal screening data sharing LEAs receiving this award will be required to participate in research efforts, including providing student-level assessment data from the approved early literacy screening assessment that is administered in all schools during the award period. DESE will request that data be submitted by June 30 of each year awarded. DESE will analyze the data collected for research purposes, including evaluation of this program. Analyses will comply with state and federal confidentiality laws.
Any questions about Appleseeds grants must be emailed to linda.sewnarine@mass.gov . Q+A will be posted to English Language Arts and Literacy - Center for Instructional Support.
The FY26 FC208 Appleseeds Materials and Professional Development Grants will be submitted in our new GEM$ system. GEM$ is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system that will eventually phase out the use of EdGrants.
Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)
Grant applications are considered submitted when the Superintendent / Chief Executive approves the grant application in GEM$. In order to be considered for funding, applicants must submit a grant application by the due date listed in the RFP.
The Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved Step allows for the organization lead to review and approve the grant application. Removing the requirement for the Part I Standard Contract Form, this step signifies Superintendent /Chief Executive sign off. Any grant budget changes requiring signature, will re-execute this step when amended signifying the organization lead is approving these changes.
Please Note: Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off. All these roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, maintained at the LEA level or sent in to the DESE RFP contact as described on the individual forms. The user guidance documents and forms are found on the GEM$ homepage under DESE Resources. These forms can be accessed without logging in to the system.
Last Updated: May 29, 2025