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The Partnership for Reading Success — Massachusetts (PRISM) III grant will support local education agencies (LEAs), including public school districts, collaboratives and charter schools, to evaluate, select, purchase, launch and implement high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) in ELA/literacy in grades 4–12. Up to three years of funding will be available to recipients, pending appropriation. This grant will empower educators with high-quality instructional materials, and expert guidance to bring relevant, real-world learning experiences to every student.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will provide resources, including funding, coaching, and professional learning, to support PRISM III Cohort 2 LEAs in evaluating, selecting, purchasing, launching, and implementing HQIM in the core ELA/literacy block. Specifically, this grant will support the:
PRISM III will be a good fit for LEAs that fall into one of two tracks:
For more information on track specific details, activities, and timeline, please refer to the Fund Use section of this RFP and the PRISM III Cohort 2 Program Details attachment.
DESE will award PRISM III grants to LEAs with applications that most effectively demonstrate the following conditions:
Competitive priority will be awarded to LEAs that meet one or more of the following competitive priorities for this grant:
All public-school districts, collaboratives, and charter schools that meet the following eligibility criteria are eligible:
LEAs can apply to focus on any grade band within the 4–12 range. LEAs selecting to focus on all grades within grades 4–12 must demonstrate capacity to support this initiative at such a large scale. All schools serving the identified grade band must participate in the PRISM III program if awarded this grant, up to a cap of 15 participating schools per LEA. LEAs with more than 15 schools serving grades 4–12, the LEA will select up to 15 schools to participate.
Note: Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements awarded grantees may be eligible for targeted continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year 2028, and Fiscal Year 2029.
Federal CFDA 84.371
Federal grant funds must adhere to:
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.
The grant period for this funding opportunity is July 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027. Approximately $1,300,000 is expected to be available for the initial period of July 1, 2026 – September 30, 2026, under fund code 594B. DESE anticipates, but cannot ensure, an additional approximate $3,000,000 to support this initiative for the remainder of the grant period under a separate fund code (594C), beginning in October 2026. Both funding sources will support a single grant award and the same overall grant period.
Applicants will initially apply for and submit a budget for funding available under 594B only, so as not to exceed the anticipated $1,300,000. If and when the additional $3,000,000 becomes available, DESE will issue a grant amendment within the same grant, requiring awarded districts to submit an additional budget under 594C to reflect the increased funding, consistent with the Budgeting Guides and the guidelines outlined in this RFP.
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 additional funding becomes available, it will be distributed under the same guidelines that appear in this RFP document.
The Fund Use details below are a summary for FY27. Please see the FY26 PRISM III Track 1 Budgeting Guide , and the PRISM III Track 2 Budgeting Guide for more information on all potential funding periods.
Track 1: This track is for LEAs that have HQIM in place and are interested in support with implementation, monitoring, and sustainability. Curricular materials are considered high-quality that meet the current CURATE definition of "high-quality" at the time of application. Track 1 funding will support:
Track 2: This track is for LEAs who are ready to evaluate, select, and purchase high-quality curricular materials in the 2026-2027 school year to implement in the 2027-2028 school year. Curricular materials are considered high-quality materials that meet the current CURATE definition of "high-quality" at the time of application and/or the time of selection, whichever is more current. Track 2 funding will support:
Upon Approval (no earlier than 7/1/2026) – 9/30/2027
Pending appropriation and the meeting of grant requirements, awarded grantees will be eligible for targeted continuation grant(s) in Fiscal Year 2028 and Fiscal Year 2029.
Office of Literacy and Humanities, Teaching and Learning Unit
Lori McNally
781-338-6244
Tuesday, May 12, 2026 at 5 p.m. EST
Proposals must be received at the Department by 5 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.
Support is available to LEAs during the application period. Please visit Literacy Launch: Reading Success from Age 3 through Grade 3 for Q+A related to this grant application.
Curriculum Data (K–8) must be submitted and up to date on DESE District Profiles for K–8 ELA/Literacy, K–12 math, and 6–8 Science by the time of the grant due date. To check if this information is complete, check the statewide Curriculum report. Or visit your District Profiles page via Profiles Home, and select Curriculum Data from the left-hand navigation. If the required data is not complete or up-to-date, details and directions on how to enter or update this data can be found at Curriculum Data Collection webpage.
Early Literacy Universal Screening: LEAs receiving this award for ELA/Literacy will be required to participate in research efforts, including providing student-level assessment data from the approved early literacy screening assessment that is administered in all schools during the award period. DESE will request that data be submitted by June 30 of each year awarded. DESE will analyze the statewide data collected for research purposes, including evaluation of this program. Analyses will comply with state and federal confidentiality laws.
Program Evaluation: Grantees will be expected to participate in all data collection activities (surveys, focus groups, walkthroughs, data sharing) connected with the evaluation of the grant.
MBTA Compliance: 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.
The FY27 594B PRISM III Cohort 2 Grant will be submitted in our GEM$ system.
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$. There are three LEA steps a competitive grant must be submitted through by the due date and time to be considered for funding:
Competitive grant applications are considered submitted once the grant application is submitted by the Superintendent or their designee through the "LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved" step in GEM$. 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.
New Organizations: Please Note, Grant Submission requires applicants to have their organization established in GEM$. Entities that do not have an organization in GEM$ 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.
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 these 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: March 24, 2026