Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2027: Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) Postsecondary Allocation Grant

Fund Code: 0401

Purpose:

The purpose of this federal grant is to assist postsecondary institutions in improving postsecondary-level programs that meet Massachusetts's expectations for postsecondary Career and Technical Education and career-connected learning, defined by the Massachusetts State Plan for implementing the federal Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act P.L. 115-224 (Perkins V).

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is guided by its Educational Vision where:

  • All students in Massachusetts, particularly students from historically underserved groups and communities, will have equitable opportunities to excel in all content areas across all grades.
  • Culturally and linguistically sustaining classroom and school practices will support students to thrive by creating affirming environments where students have a sense of belonging, engage in deeper learning, and are held to high expectations with targeted support.

DESE partners with colleges, districts, schools, and programs to:

Cultivate systems to support the whole student and foster joyful, healthy, and supportive learning environments so that all students feel valued, connected, nourished, and ready to learn. Strategic Objective 1 — "Whole Student"

Promote deeper learning so that all students engage in grade-level work that is real-world, relevant, and interactive. Strategic Objective 2 — "Deeper Learning"

Develop and sustain a workforce that is diverse, culturally responsive, well-prepared, and committed to continuous improvement, so that all students have equitable access to effective educators. Strategic Objective 3 — "Diverse and Effective Workforce"

Applicants for this grant opportunity should be intentional in the use of grant funds to support at least one of these strategic objectives.

Priorities:

The priority of this program is to close the achievement gap on the Perkins core indicators of performance for populations who are chronically unemployed or underemployed, including special populations. Note: A minimum of 20% of the allocation funds must be used for secondary-postsecondary linkage activities and services.

Eligibility:

A postsecondary institution is eligible to receive funds based on criteria established by the United States Department of Education (USED). Postsecondary institutions must offer Career Technical Education programs that comply with the various elements of Perkins V. In addition, recipients must develop and maintain a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment. Grants are awarded to eligible recipients after the state reviews and approves the grant application.

Funding Type:

Federal CFDA: 84.048A Perkins - Federal Grant Programs.

Federal grant funds must adhere to:

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

FY27 FC 0401 Perkins V Postsecondary Allocations will be posted at Grant Allocations & Awards, when they become 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 RFP document.

Fund Use:

Allocation funds must be used in accordance with Perkins V. Funds shall supplement and not supplant non-Federal funds.

Grantee Responsibilities

As grantees, you are responsible for ensuring that your use of federal funds complies with applicable federal statutes and regulations. This includes:

  • Ensuring no federal grant dollars are used directly or indirectly to pay for lobbying efforts;
  • A presumption that membership fee amounts tied to a percentage of a federal grant are unallowable;
  • Maintaining adequate documentation to demonstrate compliance to ensure that membership fees are not used on lobbying and are reasonable and necessary; and
  • Avoiding payment of dues to organizations that cannot or do not report the proportion of their activities that are dedicated to lobbying.

Although membership in certain organizations may be allowable in limited circumstances, federal grant funds may not be used to subsidize any portion of dues that support legislative advocacy or lobbying. Grantees are responsible for requesting appropriate breakdowns of dues and ensuring compliance with 31 U.S.C. § 1352, 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.454 and 200.450, and all other applicable law related to lobbying.

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.

Program Unit:

Strategy, Monitoring and Compliance/Federal Grant Programs

Contact:

Federal Grant Programs

Phone Number:

(781) 338-6230

Date Due:

Wednesday, September 23, 2026

Community Colleges eligible to receive Perkins Postsecondary funds are required to take an additional step to obtain funds through the Interdepartmental Service Agreement (ISA) process. This process will add 4 to 6 weeks to the process timeline. Therefore, it is important to keep this in mind, and submit your completed application in a timely fashion.

Required Forms:

FY27 Federal Grant Assurances — The FY27 Federal Grant Assurances Signature Page (Pages i and ii only) completed and signed by the Superintendent/Executive Director and uploaded in GEM$ in the LEA Document Library under Assurances, in folder Federal Entitlement Grant Assurances. We cannot approve any federal entitlement grant without a signed, properly dated and uploaded Federal Grant Assurance signature page.

Additional Information:

The information below is intended for Community Colleges that require ISAs as part of their grant award process.

State and community colleges are required to have ISA paperwork attached to the grant. These applicants will receive an ISA to sign once the budget has been reviewed and approved by the program unit.

  • Based on the ISA budget tags in GEM$, Grants Management will develop an ISA and attach it back to the grant, in Sections, for applicant review, completion, and signature. A note via GEM$ will be sent upon its availability.
  • Please be sure to complete any required language on pages 2 and 3 of the ISA, as relevant.
  • Once reviewed and signed, attach it back to the grant by creating a comment (create comment) in Sections in GEM$. Please click the "Send email" box within the comment section so that Grants Management is alerted to the ISA being signed.
  • DESE will counter sign the ISA and a final executed copy will be attached to the grant, in Sections.

If changes/revisions to the budget result in ISA budget tag changes, a revision to the ISA will also be required under the same process outlined above.

The grant will then be moved through DESE fiscal budget approved. The grant cannot be DESE fiscal approved without a signed ISA. While all applicants will need to utilize the budget tags, the ISA process applies to Community Colleges only.

Additional resources:

Resource Guide on Required Use of Funds — The Six Categories of Required Use of Funds (Section 135(b)) and Examples of How They Can Be Met

Resource Guide — Allowable Costs for Strengthening Career and Technical Education Entitlement Grants

Quick Reference Guide — Perkins Postsecondary Allowable and Unallowable Costs

Massachusetts Perkins V Manual

Prenatal through Young Adulthood Family Engagement Framework in Massachusetts

Major Equipment Expenditures: Major Equipment Expenditures — Additional Documentation

For non-construction capital expenditures, including equipment costing $30,000 or more, capital expenditures forms are required for prior approval along with your budget. Capital expenditures are defined as tangible or intangible (software) assets that has useful life greater than one year (or upgrade to existing asset) and meets or exceeds the capitalization level of the organization (usually $5,000). Forms available are in Capital Expense section of the application or available here: Equipment and Capital Expenditures Initial Request for Approval

In addition to a completed and executed form, please upload the additional supplemental documentation (final contract or purchase order) to funding application in GEM$ either with your application or, if not available at that time you file your initial application, if there is no final contract or purchase order, or if the proposed expenditure is $100,000 or more, please upload LEA procurement policy and procedures with this form.

When final contract or purchase order is available, using an application revision, upload the final, fully executed contract or Purchase Order showing the expenses to be funded with federal grant funds. LEA must upload the final contract or Purchase order to grant application prior to drawing funds for that expense.

Grants for Schools: Getting Them and Using Them, A Procedural Manual

Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR)

Submission Instructions:

The FY2027 Fund Code 0401 Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) Postsecondary Allocation Grant will be completed and submitted in the 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 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 3, 2026

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