Grants and Other Financial Assistance Programs

FY2027: Transition to College

Fund Code: 0668

Purpose:

The purpose of the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Transition to College grant program (Transition Program) is to provide a foundation of services, free of charge, within Massachusetts colleges that enable adult learners to enroll, persist, and complete postsecondary education.

Self-sufficiency is the ultimate goal of Transition Program services. To that end, applicants may propose Transition to College services and College Support Services as described below.

Priorities:

Transition to College Services (required)

The following priorities have been established for Transition to College Services:

  • establish two or more Memoranda of Agreement with DESE-funded Community Adult Learning Centers (CALCs) or Correctional Institutions (see Appendix A in FY 2024 – FY 2026 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Transition to College Programs);
  • enroll and retain at least one cohort of 15 adults, prioritizing students previously enrolled in DESE-funded CALCs or Correctional Institutions for a program design lasting one academic year;
  • incorporate at least one cohort strategy (e.g., students' enrollment in a common course, ongoing group advising);
  • fully integrate students into the college;
  • provide academic instruction, including a College for Success course, and intensive advising;
  • offer a program design that focuses on providing students in-person or hybrid classes and on-campus experiences;
  • offer at least two credit-bearing courses (3 credits per course);
  • provide access to additional credit-bearing courses (priority funding will be given to proposals that propose high numbers of credit-bearing courses above the required minimum).

College Support Services (optional)

The College Support Services program is an optional service offering intended for colleges interested in providing services to Transition students after one academic year. It is DESE's expectation that these students have achieved some level of self-sufficiency and would not need the same level of intensive advising they had in their first academic year. Applicants will need to describe the need for continued services and how they will provide a gradual release of responsibility in order for students to achieve full self-sufficiency.

The following priorities have been established for College Support Services:

  • propose a number of Transition students to serve and retain;
  • propose a period of time to serve these students (maximum of two semesters or one academic year);
  • propose advising and other services to build on the self-management competencies students acquired in the first academic year such as ongoing advising that will move students to self-sufficiency.
  • provide additional services such as access to credit-bearing courses and facilitating students' transition to four-year colleges.
Eligibility:

Eligible applicants are Massachusetts colleges.

Funding Source:

State Line Item 7035-0002

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 $3,500,000 is available. See the grant ranges below.

Transitions to College grants:

  • One cohort of 15 students: up to $140,000
  • Two cohorts of 15 students: $162,000 – $175,000

College Support Services: up to $50,000 (optional)

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:

Funds must be used in accordance with the FY 2024 – 2026 Massachusetts Policies for Effective Transition to College Programs. Programs should adhere to the community college's policies around student eligibility when determining the eligibility of prospective students.

Administrative costs may not exceed 5% of the total grant award.

Applicants may include indirect cost rates to recover certain business-related expenses necessary to support the proposed services. Please note that indirect costs count as administrative costs.

Project Duration:

Upon Approval – 6/30/2027

Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees may be eligible for continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year(s) 2028-2029.

Program Unit:

Adult and Community Learning Services

Contact:

Wayne Yee

Bidder's Conference:

A virtual Bidders' Conference will be held on Tuesday, May 19, from 1:30 PM – 3:30 PM. It will be held on Microsoft Teams. You can join on your computer, mobile app or room device.

Date Due:

Proposals must be received at the Department by 3:00 PM Eastern on Thursday, June 4.

Proposals must be received at the Department by 3 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.

DESE Competitive Grant Submission Policy

Required Forms:

Two or more Memoranda of Agreement with DESE-funded Community Adult Learning Centers (CALCs) or Correctional Institutions to be uploaded onto GEM$.

Additional Information:

Questions and Answers — Applicants can find all the questions asked regarding this funding opportunity and DESE's response.

Submission Instructions:

The FY27 FC0668 Transition to College Requests for Proposals will be submitted in our new 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:

  • 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: (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: May 11, 2026

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