The Rural and Low-Income School Program, Title V, Part B, Subpart 2 (VB2) of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, is designed to meet the needs of rural, low-income school districts that frequently lack the personnel and resources needed to compete for federal competitive grants. These districts often receive formula allocations in amounts too small to be effective in meeting their intended purposes. Supported activities must align with applicable District Standards and Indicators and Conditions for School Effectiveness. For more information on District Standards and School Conditions, see District Reviews and Accountability and Assistance System Overview.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is guided by its Educational Vision where:
DESE partners with 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.
The priorities of Title V, Part B, Subpart 2 are to help rural districts meet challenging state academic standards through evidence-based programs and services:
Ware Public Schools is the only eligible district in the Commonwealth at this time.
A school district is eligible to receive funds under this program if:
Federal CFDA: 84.358B Title V, Part B, Subpart 2: Rural and Low-Income School Program
Federal grant funds must adhere to:
The district allocation will be communicated via GEM$, and the district will receive a direct email communication from your Federal Grants liaison.
This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.
Funding is contingent upon availability. All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If more funding becomes available it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.
Grant recipient must spend funds in accordance with the district’s improvement plan.
Upon Approval (No Earlier than 7/1/2026)* through 9/ 30 /2028**
* Grant start date cannot be prior to DESE receiving a substantially approvable Application Submission as directed in this RFP's Submission Instructions. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to DESE receiving and approving an application submission. Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date. The Grant Award Notice (GAN) issued in GEM$ is the official award notice for grant funds.
**The obligation end date for these grant funds covers multiple state fiscal years. Grantees should obligate and expend grant funding throughout the grant lifecycle. Grant balances can be liquidated on this award through November 30, 2028, through the GEM$ reimbursement request process.
Grantees must file a Final Expenditure Report (FER) to close out the grant by December 31, 2028. Grantees may file FERs ahead of this deadline if grant funds have been paid in full across each section of the consolidated grant, or after the obligation end date has passed, whichever comes first. If grant funds are not liquidated by November 30, 2028, the FER filing can be used to claim final balances if it is submitted on or before December 31, 2028.
Strategy, Monitoring and Compliance/Federal Grant Programs
Alex Lilley
(781) 338-6212
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
FY27 Federal Grant Assurances — Signature Pages (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 pages.
Rural and Low-Income School Program — US Department of Education
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) — Federal Grant Programs
Note: Applicants may only legally claim expenses to the grant starting from the date of final DESE approval. The start date for the grant is the date on which the district submits substantially approvable budget and information for the grant. Therefore, to expedite approval, it is essential to have district staff that can be reached in July and August to respond to questions, as needed.
The FY27 Fund Code 0690 Title V, Part B, Subpart 2: Rural and Low-Income School Program grant must be completed and submitted in the Grants for Education Management System (GEM$).
Grant Submission at the LEA level requires roles to be established for the ESSA Consolidated (FC 0305/0140/0180/0309) Grant writer role for this specific fund code, LEA fiscal for financial review/approval, and Superintendent/Chief Executive sign off.
All roles should be established prior to the grant due date and all appropriate forms should be either uploaded to GEM$, 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: May 28, 2026