Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2027: McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant (Continuation)

Fund Code: 0310

Purpose:

This federal continuation grant allocates funding to districts to enhance supportive services or programs that facilitate the enrollment and attendance of homeless students. The grant supports the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE's or Department's) Educational Vision, including supporting the whole student, deeper learning, and culturally and linguistically sustaining practices that contribute to affirming environments where students have a sense of belonging. Additionally, it supports educational approaches that recognize and build upon students’ background knowledge, lived experiences, and cultural and linguistic assets. The program encourages active student participation and agency by enabling students to influence their learning experiences through the grant’s outlined purposes:

  1. Support Services: to address the basic, academic, and ongoing needs of homeless students and families, thereby strengthening a sense of belonging and increasing students’ attendance.
  2. Family and Community Engagement: to engage families in removing barriers to students’ attendance. (Please refer to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education's (DESE's) definition of Family Engagement, and Family Engagement Initiatives and Resources.)
  3. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Support: to address the fundamental and ongoing needs of unaccompanied homeless youth and to engage students in eliminating barriers to school attendance.
  4. Homeless Migrant Student Support: to collaborate with the Massachusetts Migrant Education Program (MMEP) to deliver racially equitable and culturally responsive academic support, and engagement for homeless migrant students. This support will include but not limited to summer programming, English language services, tutoring, and the provision of school supplies, etc.
  5. Regional Technical Assistance Specialists: to provide technical assistance and professional development opportunities in collaboration with the Homeless Education State Coordinator and other DESE Educational Stability staff. Regional Technical Assistance Specialists will support districts across the state divided by county, including Barnstable and Dukes, Berkshire and Franklin, Bristol and Plymouth, Essex and Northeast Middlesex, Hampden and Hampshire, Middlesex South and West, Norfolk and Suffolk, and Worcester counties.
Priorities:

The McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant prioritizes funds to develop culturally relevant support systems that engage homeless students and families by leveraging their knowledge, strengths, and assets. This strategy aims to increase student attendance, improve academic achievement, and foster a sense of belonging through the following:

  1. programming designed to raise awareness of the needs and rights of students who are homeless throughout the district and community;
  2. tutoring, supplemental instruction, and other educational services that help students who are homeless close achievement gaps;
  3. providing developmentally appropriate early childhood education programs, not otherwise provided through federal, state, or local funding for preschool children who are homeless;
  4. providing services and assistance to attract, engage, and retain students who are homeless, particularly those that are not enrolled in school, in public school programs and services provided to housed students;
  5. before- and after-school programs, mentoring, summer programs for children and youth who are homeless, and services/assistance to attract, engage, and retain students who are homeless in these programs;
  6. collaborating with external agencies to provide students, families and caregivers who are homeless with medical, dental, mental health, and other community and state services;
  7. engaging homeless students, families and caregivers in their student's education stability, such as attendance, learning and other related issues;
  8. providing trauma informed services, counseling, referrals to counseling and/or otherwise addressing the well-being needs of students who are homeless and experiencing any forms of trauma;
  9. providing school related supplies to non-school facilities and adapting these facilities to enable them to provide services;
  10. providing extraordinary or emergency services to eligible students as necessary to enroll and retain them in school;
  11. creating opportunities or supporting participation in local districts’ family engagement activities for migrant parents/caregivers/temporary guardians as inclusive as possible not limited to unaccompanied youth who are SLIFE, such as Parent Advisory Council meetings, and professional development workshops;
  12. providing professional development for districts, and service providers to enhance collaboration in related topics such as family engagement, improving attendance, etc.; and
  13. providing programs and services for middle and high school students preparing for post-secondary tracks.

Priority will be given to districts and schools in the strategic transformation region and to districts and schools participating in the accelerating achievement partnership with DESE.

Eligibility:

All grantees of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Fund Code (FC) 0310 McKinney Vento Homeless Education competitive grant are eligible to apply for Category A — Support Services. Eligibility and funding amounts for Categories B–E are noted below.

Funding Source:

Federal (CFDA 84.196)

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

  • UGG (2 CFR 200)
  • EDGAR As Applicable
  • EDGAR General Fiscal Administration 34 CFR Part 76

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 $1,700,000 is anticipated to be available.

Applicants may apply for up to the designated amounts for each of the following categories.

  1. Support Services: All grantees may apply for up to the following amounts based on based on the certified number of homeless students identified in the 2024-25 school year submitted to DESE. See Eligibility and Funding list for details.

    • Up to $60,000: 2,501 or more
    • Up to $45,000: 1,001–2,500
    • Up to $35,000: 251–1000
    • Up to $25,000: 50–250

  2. Family and Community Engagement: All grantees may apply for an additional 20% of their Category A eligible amount for Category B — Family and Community Engagement.

    Districts approved for the FY26 FC 310E-645E Family Engagement Enhancement Grant, these funds are available in FY27 to support Family Institute for Student Success planning and implementation and should be included in the FC 0310 Category B budget.

  3. Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Support: All grantees may apply for an additional 20% of their Category A eligible amount for Category C — Unaccompanied Homeless Youth Support. Districts that apply must demonstrate needs related to supporting unaccompanied homeless youth.

  4. Homeless Migrant Student Support:
    • Districts that serve 40 or more migrant homeless students are eligible to apply for:
      • Up to $30,000: 100 or more enrolled migrant homeless students
      • Up to $15,000: 40 or more enrolled migrant homeless students
  5. Regional Technical Assistance Specialists:
    • Grantees that currently have a FY 2026 grant for Category E — Regional Technical Assistance Specialists are eligible to apply for this category.

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.

Fund Use:

Programs can either expand or improve services provided through a school's general academic program but cannot replace that program (supplement and not supplant). To the extent practicable, activities and services are to inclusively serve students who are homeless and students who are housed.

Districts may provide services through programs on school grounds, or at other facilities. Funds may also be used for contracts with other agencies to provide services for children and youth who are homeless, provided those align to the purpose and priorities of the grant. McKinney-Vento funds may provide the same services to students who are housed to ensure that program activities integrate students who are homeless.

Grant funds cannot be used to support the salary of the district's Homeless Education Liaison, a position required in all school districts, for the responsibilities required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Funds may be used to support supplemental activities or responsibilities outside of those required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, provided those align to the purpose and priorities of the grant, such as tutoring programs held outside of regular school hours or summer program coordination, evening family engagement activities, etc.

Grant funds cannot be used for food, gift cards, hotel room rental or rent for families or unaccompanied youth.

Grant funds cannot be used for the transportation costs that are required by the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act. Other types of homeless transportation costs may not exceed 10% of the grant.

For basic school related supplies, grant expenditures should not exceed 20% of the total grant award.

For further clarification about fund use, see Use-of-Funds Tip Sheet for Serving Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness with Education for Homeless Children & Youth (EHCY) Program Funds (NCHE 2025) .

Project Duration:

Upon Approval* (no earlier than 7/1/2026) – 6/30/2027

* 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 DESE receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date. The Grant Award Notice (GAN) issued in GEM$ is the official award notice for grant funds.

Per the FY26 competitive RFP, pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for a continuation grant FY28. Fluctuations in homeless populations may necessitate a review of funding amounts in continuation years.

Program Unit:

Student and Family Support

Contact:

Shirley Fan-Chan

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6310

Date Due:

Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.

Proposals will be reviewed on a rolling basis and may be submitted prior to the due date. Extensions, if needed, may also be requested by the due date.

Required Forms:

All required program information and forms will be submitted in DESE's new Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). See Submission Instructions for details.

Additional Information:

Regional Technical Assistance Specialists grant sub-category E, please see the DESE Regional Technical Assistance Specialist Job Description for duties of the Regional Technical Assistance Specialist position.

Key Grant Requirements: Funded applicants will:

  • abide by Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 Title IX Part A;
  • convene a local Homeless Education Service Coordination Committee or actively participate in an established local committee/council designed to assess the needs and assist in the provision of services to the homeless student population in the district if receiving funds for Support Services, Family and Community Engagement, Unaccompanied Homeless Youth, and Homeless Migrant Student Support (sub-category A, B, C & D);
  • agrees to meet monthly with the Homeless Education State Coordinator and other regional liaisons for consultation and check in if receiving funding for Regional Technical Assistance Specialist (sub-category E);
  • agrees to attend grantee meetings four times a year including DESE-sponsored professional development forum in winter-spring 2026-27; and
  • provide an end-of-year report — details will be provided to all grantees.
Submission Instructions:

The FY27 0310 McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Grant must be submitted in GEM$. To be considered submitted, the grant must be moved through the LEA Fiscal Representative Approved step in GEM$.

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.

Last Updated: June 18, 2026

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