Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2027: Fair Share Adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Services

Fund Code: 0342

Purpose:

The purpose of this competitive grant program is to expand the Public Adult Education (PAE) system's capacity to

  1. Increase the number of providers and classes to address the demand for adult English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) services.
  2. Prepare English learners for entry and success in the Massachusetts workforce by incorporating digital skills and contextualized workplace preparation into instruction.
Priorities:

Competitive priority will be given to applications that

  1. Have formal agreements with current DESE providers to enroll eligible students who are currently waiting for ESOL classes.
  2. Include a partnership with a workforce training provider or employer.
  3. Demonstrate the capacity to provide adult ESOL students with the necessary job readiness and digital skills to meet the needs of local employers.
Eligibility:

Agencies and organizations that are not currently (FY27) funded by Adult and Community Learning Services (ACLS)1 to provide adult ESOL instruction are eligible to apply, including:

  1. a local educational agency
  2. a community-based organization or faith-based organization
  3. a volunteer literacy organization
  4. an institution of higher education
  5. a public or private nonprofit agency
  6. a library
  7. a public housing authority
  8. a nonprofit institution not described in (1) through (7) and has the ability to provide literacy activities to eligible providers
  9. a consortium or coalition of the agencies, organizations, institutions, libraries or authorities described in (1) through (8)
  10. a partnership between an employer and an entity described in any of (1) through (9)
Funding Type:

State Line Item 1596-2514

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:

Up to $2,000,000 is available.

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 Request for Proposals (RFP).

ACLS will award funding to meritorious proposals based primarily upon the quality of the responses to this RFP and the score and rank of proposals as determined by proposal review teams. Though award amounts will vary, proposals with higher scores will generally receive larger proportions of their requests for funding than proposals with lower scores. Exceptions, however, may exist.

ACLS reserves the right to adjust funding awards to ensure that programs are appropriately distributed geographically to avoid concentrations of ESOL programming that do not serve the needs of local communities or the priorities of this RFP.

Important: ACLS adult education Fair Share awards include average monthly enrollment targets and a cost per participant. The cost per participant is the base award divided by the monthly enrollment target. Grantees are expected to maintain or exceed, on average, their enrollment target(s) from September through June. See the FY27-FY28 Massachusetts Fair Share ESOL Policies for additional information.

Note: Historically, the funding requested by successful grantees has exceeded the state allocation. ACLS can seldom, if ever, provide 100% of the funding requested even by the applicant that submits the highest scoring proposal statewide or in workforce planning regions. As described above, ACLS will base funding decisions on the scores and ranks of proposals, as well as considerations that promote fair and equitable access to ESOL services.

ACLS encourages applicants to propose realistic budgets that consider the estimated regional allocation and the program's organizational capacity. Proposed expenditures must be allowable as stated in federal and state regulations, reasonable to achieve the goals of the proposal, and adhere to the budget requirements outlined in the FY27-FY28 Massachusetts Fair Share ESOL Policies .

Fund Use:

Funds must be used in accordance with Fair Share ESOL Policies to provide adult education to eligible students; eligible students are:

  • Are at least 16 years of age;
  • Are not enrolled or required to be enrolled in secondary school under state law; and
  • Are English language learners.

Students under 18 must provide a letter of withdrawal from the local school district in order to enroll in the program. Students who are home schooled must provide a letter from the local school district stating that they are not enrolled.

Fair Share grant funds must be used to increase ESOL to create new classes in the target communities. Allowable use of funds includes but is not limited to:

  1. Personnel: Salary and fringe for ESOL instructors, tutors, and other instructional staff needed to offer additional classes. Funds may also support program coordinators or counselors directly involved in supporting the adult learners in the program.

  2. Instructional Materials: Purchase of curriculum materials, textbooks, workbooks, English language learning software licenses, and other learning resources for students. This includes both traditional print materials and digital content that will be used in the ESOL classes.

  3. Technology and Digital Resources: Procurement of technology to enhance learning, such as computers, tablets, or other devices for student use, as well as related software or online learning platform subscriptions. Funds can also be used for classroom technology (projectors, smart boards) or Internet connectivity to facilitate blended or online ESOL instruction.

  4. Community Outreach and Recruitment: Expenses related to outreach in the community to identify, inform, and enroll adult learners who need ESOL services. This may include developing multilingual informational materials, hosting orientation sessions, advertising the new program in local media or community centers, and coordination with local organizations to refer learners. Stipends for outreach liaisons or community navigators can be included.

  5. Professional Development: Training for ESOL instructors on implementing digital learning tools, contextualizing curriculum for workforce skills, or other relevant professional development that enhances program quality. (Limited funds may be allocated here to ensure staff are well-prepared to deliver 21st-century skills content.)

  6. Support Services: If integral to the program's success, a portion of funds may be used for services that help adult learners persist and succeed. For example, modest expenses for childcare during class times, transportation assistance for learners, or career counseling services can be included if they directly support participation in the ESOL program.

Fair Share Adult ESOL Services is a restricted rate program that is subject to a “supplement not supplant” restriction.

For this competition, applicants may include indirect cost rates to recover certain business-related expenses necessary to support the proposed services.

  • Local Education Agencies (LEA) may apply their district rate .
  • A non-LEA that has a current federally approved restricted indirect cost rate may use that rate.
  • A non-LEA that has an FY27 approved indirect cost rate may use that rate. However, if awarded a grant, the agency must reapply to DESE for FY28 and annually through the grant cycle (2 CFR 200.332 ).
  • A non-LEA that does not have either a Federal or DESE approved indirect cost rate may budget up to 8% percent of the agency's proposed budget to recover certain business-related expenses. However, if awarded a grant, the agency must apply to DESE for FY27 and that there is no guarantee that the rate will be approved (2 CFR 200.332 ).

Not less than 95 percent of funds must be spent on adult education direct services and literacy activities; not more than 5 percent may be spent on administrative costs (related to planning, administration, (including carrying out performance accountability requirements), and state approved indirect costs charged to the grant. These costs must be tagged “Administrative Cost” in the GEM$ budget. Applicants may negotiate a higher administrative cost percentage up to 25% by completing the Administrative Cost Form in GEM$.

Applicants are required to provide an auditable matching share of 20% of the total amount of the requested grant award.

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.

Project Duration:

Upon approval through 6/30/2027

Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year 2028.

Program Unit:

Adult and Community Learning Services

Contact:

Toby Maguire , Assistant Director

Bidder's Conference:

A virtual Bidders' Conference will be held on Tuesday, September 1, from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. It will be held on Zoom and accessed via computer, mobile app or room device.

Join Zoom Meeting
971-174-5866

Date Due:

Friday, September 18, 2026 3:00 p.m. Eastern

Proposals must be received at the Department by 3:00 p.m. Eastern on the date due.

DESE Competitive Grant Submission Policy

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.

Required Forms:

FY25 Audit or Financial Statement: (required for community-based organizations only) A copy of the applying agency's latest completed audit report, issued by an independent certified public accountant. If an audit report is not included, the proposal will not be considered.

Additional Information:

All inquiries must be submitted in writing to the Fair Share ESOL RFP Q&A with answers to inquiries will be posted to Adult Education Funding Opportunities on the ACLS website.

The deadline for submission of questions is Wednesday, September 9 at 5:00 p.m. It is the responsibility of applicants to remain up to date with the posted questions and answers. Any RFP updates or revisions contained in the Q&A will supersede previous versions of the same.

Submission Instructions:

FY27 0342 Fair Share Adult ESOL Services grant applications will be submitted in our Grants for Education Management System (GEM$).

New organizations that do not have established GEM$ access with DESE start at Step 4.

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: There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding:

  • LEA Grantwriter Submitted
  • LEA Fiscal Representative Approved
  • LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved

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 Approved stage by the due date and time listed in the RFP. Please plan accordingly.

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.

Step 3: After reviewing the Fair Share Adult ESOL Services Polices, In GEM$, the LEA Grantwriter responds to all the required documents, completes the FY27 budget, the FY27 match budget and the FY28 budget. Then the Grantwriter submits the organization's application to the LEA Fiscal Representative.

The Fiscal Representative reviews the application and either returns it to the Grantwriter or approves and submits it to the LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive for review. If the Superintendent/ Chief Executive approves the application, they submit it to DESE.

Step 4: (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 complete and email a GEM$ Temp Organization Access Request to Toby Maguire , Assistant Director, Adult and Community Learning Services 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.


1 ACLS is the office within the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) that administers the Fair Share Adult ESOL Services grants.

Last Updated: August 13, 2026

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