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The purpose of this competitive grant opportunity is to provide supplementary support to school districts interested in entering the planning phase of My Career and Academic Plan (MyCAP) or currently engaged in the early stages of whole school implementation of MyCAP. MyCAP is a student-driven process designed to ensure all students have a plan for success after high school and graduate college, career, and civic ready. The MyCAP process requires schools to create a scope and sequence for every grade in three domains - personal, social, mental health, career development and academic and planning - to guide the implementation of MyCAP. This grant will provide planning team members the supplementary support necessary to attend professional development, to hold team meetings outside-of- school hours to create the scope and sequence for every grade, or to begin implementation of the scope and sequence and allow for continuation of team meetings outside of school hours and/or attend additional trainings.
This grant is intended to provide high school leadership teams working on the school-wide implementation of MyCAP with funding to: (a) allow a team made up of diverse roles to meet outside of school hours for the creation of a middle or secondary school scope and sequence and/or pay for substitutes while team members attend in-person trainings; (b) design or begin the implementation plan for the rollout of MyCAP; (c) identify 2 metrics for assessment of student success.
Grant applicants must identify a team that at a minimum includes four members representing a cross-section of professional roles e.g, administrator, school counselor, general education teacher, special education teacher, shop teacher, coach. Student representation is also encouraged. The team will create a scope and sequence that will address the three domains of college, career and civic readiness in each year of middle and/or high school and includes the identification of learning objectives, lessons, activities and resources available to meet those objectives, and the artifacts that will be captured in the individual student MyCAP. The focus of the work should be on creating a scope and sequence that will empower and engage students in planning for postsecondary success based on their individual interests, strengths, passions, implementing the scope and sequence, and providing professional development opportunities for whole school buy-in
All Massachusetts public school districts, including charter schools, regionals school districts, collaboratives, approved special education schools and other LEAs.
Districts may apply for $7,000 per school with a maximum district total of $70,000
State 7009-6600
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.
Approximately $850,000
This grant will prioritize at least 25% of available funds available for schools and districts in chronically underperforming status. If applications are not received from schools in status, funds will be distributed to other applicants.
Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.
This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.
Funds may be used for costs associated with training and meeting times for team members outside of school day contracted hours in order to create the scope and sequence and implementation plan. Allowable uses include, but are not limited to, the following:
Additional Notes:
Funds must be used in alignment with the purpose and priorities outlined and as described in a budget, budget narrative, and required program information that is submitted to the Department's Office of College, Career and Technical Education (CCTE).
Additional General Grant coding Guidance is available: CCTE Resource for Grants .
Upon Approval – 6/30/2026
Office of College, Career, and Technical Education
Lisa Harney 781-338-3903
Friday July 25, 2025
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5 p.m. Eastern on the date due.
Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the LEA Superintendent Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP.
All responses must be submitted through proper steps and received by the due date/time listed above. Failure to do so will result in disqualification. Responses not received on time will not be reviewed. Applicants applying after the due date may be notified their application was received late and will not be reviewed. Applications must be submitted as directed in the Submissions Instructions below. Failure to do so may result in disqualification. If you need assistance with submitting your application, please reach out to the contact person listed on this funding opportunity.
The 0598 MyCAP Planning and Implementation Grants will be submitted in our 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$)
New organizations that do not have an established LEA with DESE skip to Step 3.
Step 1: Establish and assign proper roles before the grant due date/time. Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for Grant writer for the specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off.
All roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, 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.
Step 2: Submit the grant through all LEA steps in GEM$. There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding:
Competitive grant applications are considered submitted once the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP. Please plan accordingly.
The "LEA 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.
Step 3: (If applicable) New organizations request temporary organization access. New organizations are entities that have not been established as an LEA in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization established in GEM$ must contact the DESE Program Unit issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.
Temporary Access will need to be created by DESE before you can then assign the proper roles and submit the grant as outlined in Steps 1 and 2.
Failure to provide DESE with GEM$ Temp Organization Access Request at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. DESE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.
Last Updated: June 18, 2025