FY2026: Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) III Grades 4–12

Fund Code: 0594

Purpose:

In July 2025, DESE awarded the Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) III grant to support the evaluation, selection, and Implementation of high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) in ELA/Literacy classrooms for grades 4–12.

This continuation grant is designed to help LEAs deepen this work. Specifically, it will support the ongoing evaluation, selection, and implementation of HQIM by ensuring that LEA curriculum councils continue to receive stipends, leadership coaching, and curriculum-based professional learning from their PRISM Curriculum and Instruction Coaches. This sustained support will help LEAs build internal capacity and strengthen instructional practices aligned with high-quality instruction materials as outlined in the FY26 PRISM III Program Details .

Priorities:

DESE seeks to award PRISM III grants to LEAs/consortia who demonstrate:

• A commitment to prioritizing evidence-based, inclusive, and culturally and linguistically sustaining literacy practices for all learners
• A Commitment to having routines and systems for instructional leaders and grade-level teams to support high-quality, culturally and linguistically sustaining instruction with the new curriculum
• The ability to bring together a diverse coalition of stakeholders committed to the activities articulated in the grant proposal, including families, staff members, administrators, school principals, and school committee
• Acknowledgement of and commitment to addressing literacy achievement disparities along lines of race, income, language status, and/or disability status

Eligibility:

This continuation grant is intended for FY26 PRISM III Summer FC0594 Grantees eligible for continuation. The eligible districts include:

• ACCEPT Educational Collaborative
• Attleboro Public School District
• Barnstable Public School District
• Bi-County Collaborative
• Easthampton Public School District
• Everett Public School District
• Gateway Regional School District
• Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical School District
• Haverhill Public School District
• Hudson Public School District
• Lowell Public School District
• Milford Public School District
• Northampton Public School District
• Somerville Public School District
• Spencer East Brookfield Public School District
• Ware Public School District

Funding Type:

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.

Funding:

Approximately $1,600,000 is expected to be available for FY26 Continuation (Upon Approval – January 30, 2026), pending funding.

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.

Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for additional continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year(s) 2026, 2027, and 2028 depending on their track. In subsequent years of the grant, PRISM III LEAs will receive federal funding to implement customized PRISM Literacy Plans. Please see the Budgeting Guides for more information.

Fund Use:

This continuation grant will provide funding for:

• Stipends: Supports PRISM Curriculum Council members and other educators through stipends for work beyond contracted hours or substitute coverage to provide release time for grant-related activities.
• PRISM Curriculum & Instruction Coach: Funds DESE-approved coaching for curriculum analysis, lesson preparation routines, progress monitoring, and curriculum-based professional learning to ensure evidence-based, inclusive, and culturally and linguistically sustaining implementation.

For full details about the PRISM III program and how funds may be used, please refer to your individualized Budget Guide that was emailed to your grant lead for this program.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – January 31, 2026

Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees who meet the eligibility requirements for CLSD funding may be eligible for targeted continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year 2026, Fiscal Year 2027, and Fiscal Year 2028. Continuation grants will be funded by the federal Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant.

Program Unit:

Office of Literacy and Humanities, Center for Instructional Support

Contact:

Lori McNally

Phone Number:

781-338-6244

Date Due:

Friday, September 12, 2025, at 5 p.m. EST

Proposals must be received at the Department by 5 p.m. Eastern on the date due. .

Additional Information:

Curriculum Data (K–8) must be submitted and up to date on DESE District Profiles for K–8 ELA/Literacy, K–12 math, and 6–8 Science 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 webpage.

Early Literacy Universal Screening: LEAs receiving this award for ELA/Literacy 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 statewide data collected for research purposes, including evaluation of this program. Analyses will comply with state and federal confidentiality laws.

Grantees will be expected to participate in all data collection activities (surveys, focus groups, providing district level data) connected with the evaluation of the grant.

GEM$ Submission Instructions:

The FY26 0594 PRISM III Grant will be submitted in our new GEM$ system.

Grants for Education Management System (GEM$)

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: September 4, 2025