MA Targeted Teacher Diversity Grant FY27~2.pdf

1.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION

Massachusetts Targeted Teacher Diversity Grant

FY27 FC GEDU Targeted Teacher Diversity Grant - COMP NEW

COMMBUYS BID#: BD-27-1036-EDU02-EDU02-131252

Program Overview

Purpose:

The Executive Office of Education (EOE) is dedicated to developing and sustaining a diverse, culturally responsive, and well-prepared educator workforce committed to continuous improvement. This effort ensures all students have equitable access to effective educators. EOE serves as an advocate for dismantling barriers and practices, and for developing policies that create pathways to excellence and maximize potential for all students.

All students in Massachusetts, particularly students from historically and currently underserved groups and communities, should have equitable opportunities to excel in all content areas across all grades. Culturally and linguistically sustaining classrooms 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.

An inclusive school environment is crucial for diverse educators because it fosters a sense of belonging, support, and equity, improving their job satisfaction and retention. It also enables them to bring valuable cultural perspectives that enhance student learning and create a more equitable, culturally responsive school community.

MAURA T. HEALEY

GOVERNOR

KIMBERLEY L. DRISCOLL

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR

AMY A. KERSHAW

ACTING SECRETARY

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF EDUCATION

ONE ASHBURTON PLACE ROOM 1403

BOSTON, MA 02108

TEL: (617) 979-8340

FAX: (617) 727-0049

www.mass.gov/education

This grant aims to foster a workforce that is diverse and committed to continuous improvement.

EOE is committed to supporting programs that embed this vision into school culture, promoting teaching and learning that is inclusive, multilingual, and multicultural.

Due to budget constraints, this grant is designed to support up to three non-profit organizations’ efforts to recruit, revitalize, and retain diverse educators. EOE seeks to fund organizations that develop and implement innovative solutions to build diverse, equitable, and inclusive learning and professional environments. The selected organization(s) will ensure that diverse educators have the tools and resources necessary to feel sustained, healthy, and happy in the profession.

This targeted grant is designed to support non-profit organization(s) that holistically support the education ecosystem within the Commonwealth in the following ways:

• The organization must center the needs of diverse educators while supporting schools and districts in building out and auditing their recruitment and selection practices.

• The organization must currently support retention through a cohort-based fellowship for early-career K-12 diverse educators within the Commonwealth. This fellowship should be intentionally designed around the lived experiences of diverse educators, providing coaching, mentoring, and professional development that improve skills and prevent burnout.

• The organization must demonstrate innovation in creating safe, supportive spaces for networking and community building. Programming should span social networking opportunities, professional development, and coaching labs led by veteran, diverse educators.

Funding and Deadlines

Funding: Approximately $100,000 will be awarded across up to three non-profit organizations.

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.

This RFP is the governing document for these grant funds.

Funding Type: 7010-2901

Admin Trust Account - one-time funding

Fund Use:

Funds must not be used to discriminate on the basis of race, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law. Activities must be reasonable, appropriate, and consistent with all applicable state and federal requirements. Additionally, awardees cannot use more than 10% of funds for contracts outside of the organization.

Gift cards are not allowed to be purchased with grant funds, as they do not provide the required audit trail. The reason for this is to maintain transparency and accountability in public spending and ensure that funds are utilized for their intended, appropriate purposes.

Eligible Applicants: If applicable, eligible applicants must be in compliance with the Massachusetts General Laws, including G.L. c. 40A, § 3A, the MBTA Communities Act, in order to be considered for funding. Compliance with the MBTA Communities Act is determined by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities.

As a condition of accepting these funds, staff must participate in any program evaluations, data collection requests, or monitoring activities associated with this funding.

Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) EOE encourages all non-profit grant applicants to become certified in the Massachusetts Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP).

Schools do not qualify for the SBPP program and may disregard this section.

Applying for certification is easy; it only takes a few simple steps, and approval is received within 48 hours.

While all non-profit applicants, regardless of size or principal place of business, may submit grant applications, the issuing department will give a scoring preference to non-profit applicants that have received SBPP certification.

To apply for SBPP certification, go to this site:

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/supplier-diversity-office-sdo. Further details are below. Once certified, please upload a copy of your certification letter or COMMBUYS Profile to your Grant Application.

https://www.mass.gov/orgs/supplier-diversity-office-sdo

Small Business Purchasing Program (SBPP) Certification. Eligible grant applicants are encouraged to apply for certification as a Massachusetts-based small business through the Small Business Purchasing Program

(SBPP).

The SBPP was established pursuant to Executive Order 599 to enhance state contracting opportunities with small businesses that have their principal place of business within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Applicant Participation in the SBPP Grant applicants are encouraged to apply for SBPP certification as described below.

SBPP Participation Eligibility. To be eligible for SBPP certification, an entity (organization or individual) must meet the following criteria and be marked as an SBPP registered business in COMMBUYS. To participate, a business must:

• Have its principal place of business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

• Been in business for at least one year.

• Employ a combined total of 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees in all locations, or employees work less than a combined total of 26,000 hours per quarter.

• Have gross revenues, as reported on appropriate tax forms, of $15 million or less, based on a three-year average.

Non-profit firms also must be registered as a non-profit or charitable organization with the MA Attorney General’s Office, be up to date with all filings required by that office and be tax exempt under Section 501(c) of the Internal Revenue Code.

SBPP Compliance Requirements. The applicants are responsible for ensuring that their SBPP status is current at the time of grant application and throughout the life of any resulting grant. To learn more about SBPP, including how to apply, visit the SBPP Webpage.

Program Resources and Assistance. Applicants and grantees seeking assistance regarding SBPP may visit the SBPP webpage, http://www.mass.gov/sbpp, or contact the SBPP Help Desk at sbpp@mass.gov.

http://www.commbuys.com/ http://www.mass.gov/sbpp http://www.mass.gov/sbpp mailto:sbpp@mass.gov

Project Duration: Upon Approval* – 6/30/2027

All grant-funded activities must be paid by the end of the project duration on June 30, 2027. All grant recipients will be expected to provide an annual summary report on grant-funded activities and outcomes upon completion of the grant.

All dollar amounts listed are estimated/approximate and are subject to change. If additional funding becomes available, it will be distributed in accordance with the guidelines outlined in this RFP document. Goods and Services cannot be procured prior to the Grantee having an awarded application in the status of ‘EOE Fiscal Budget Approved.’ Funds cannot exceed the project duration end date.

Contact: Faith Ambrose – faith.ambrose@mass.gov

Date Due:

Timeline:

July 31, 2026, 3 PM EST

Proposals must be received by 3 PM EST on the date due.

All responses must be received by the due date 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 that 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.

EOE Grant system application setup will disallow submission after the due date and time. A COMP grant is considered submitted once the LEA Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved step is completed.

Timeline:

• For any assistance in navigating the EOE Grants site, please view the webinar.

• Friday, July 24, 2026, by 12:00 PM EST*: Programmatic questions may be submitted to eoegrants@mass.gov, and responses will be posted at the beginning of the following week

• Friday, July 31, 2026, by 3:00 PM EST*: Final proposal is due https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/play/qTq9hPDA41oyNtegNCsstyp7dZ-7_MsI_Y6rnhq3OmEuDRhDUuNcCajHo3NEsNYB_HNhSaMgQemBsV4x.kKMdtdpDm2KMJxtS?accessLevel=meeting&canPlayFromShare=true&from=my_recording&continueMode=true&oldStyle=true&componentName=rec-play&originRequestUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fus02web.zoom.us%2Frec%2Fshare%2FT1mnZ_2wgNAXRwcv_962bqYn69l_aUFTkNZS1tGFWFO5YwS9LneYTx0ZHfXaWjWm.kcCpM1T42OEgWlwY

*A competitive grant is considered submitted once the Grantee Superintendent / Chief Executive Approved step is completed.

EOE Grants Submission Instructions:

The FY27 FC GEDU Targeted Teacher Diversity Grant will be submitted in our new EOE Grants Management system. EOE Grants is a cloud-based fiscal and program management grant system.

EOE Grants Management System

Competitive grant applications are considered submitted when the Superintendent/Chief Executive approves the application in EOE Grants.

In order to be considered for competitive funding, applicants must submit a grant application by the due date listed in the RFP.

The Superintendent/Chief Executive Approved Step allows the organizational lead to review and approve the grant application. Any grant budget changes requiring a signature will re-execute this step upon amendment, signifying that the organization lead is approving these changes.

Please Note: Grant Submission requires applicants to have their organization established in EOE Grants. Entities that do not have an organization must contact the Grant Manager issuing this grant at a minimum 5 business days prior to the grant due date for temporary organization access.

Failure to provide EOE with User Access Administrator Set Up Form at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. EOE cannot accept or review applications after the due date.

https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=638526836525186455

Webinar:

For any assistance in navigating the EOE Grants site, please see the prerecorded webinar.

Additional Information:

Questions and Answers – Applicants can find all the questions asked regarding this funding opportunity and EOE’s response under the EOE Resources page.

Programmatic questions may be submitted to eoegrants@mass.gov on a rolling basis through July 24, 2026, by 12:00 PM EST*. Please be advised that after this deadline, responses to programmatic questions are not guaranteed. Questions and responses will be posted regularly in EOE Grants.

As a reminder, failure to provide EOE with the User Access Administrator Set Up Form at least 5 business days prior to the due date may result in not meeting the submission due date listed above. Please refer to the guidance under EOE Resources for instructions on setting up the user access administrator account for your organization.

Review of Applications

Step 1: Threshold Criteria Screening Submissions will be screened for completeness, conformity to the program requirements, and timeliness of response. Reviewers will determine the eligibility of each applicant, evaluate applications and confirm the alignment to posted RFP. Submissions that are incomplete, non-conforming, or late may not be considered.

Step 2: Compliance Screening

• Ensure applicants are in good standing with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue.

Commonwealth Corporation will conduct this screening by uploading the Certificate of Good Standing (C.O.G.S.) submitted in the Qualifications Submission Package. Please note that community colleges, public vocational technical high schools, and public state universities serving as the lead applicant do not need to submit a Certificate of Good Standing.

• Please follow this guidance when requesting and submitting a Certificate of Good Standing from the Department of Revenue:

o The Certificate of Good Standing from the Department of Revenue is NOT the same and should not be confused with a Certificate of Incorporation from the Secretary of State o C.O.G.S. must be less than six months old o Please visit the Department of Revenue’s website:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ST-Yn74oMEfLoNws0atsV0-JuKYt4rhQtzA4u9LHMdKny8Zdl_NCkt4TMqPkJL-J.SHDnRa1Hb2BXNozs https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/ST-Yn74oMEfLoNws0atsV0-JuKYt4rhQtzA4u9LHMdKny8Zdl_NCkt4TMqPkJL-J.SHDnRa1Hb2BXNozs https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=639178397438608290 https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=639178397438608290 mailto:eoegrants@mass.gov https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=639178397438608290 https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=639178397438608290 https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary/Default.aspx?ccipSessionKey=639178397438608290

(http://www.mass.gov/dor/businesses/programs-and-services/certificate-of-good-standing.html) for more information about the C.O.G.S. and to complete an online application to obtain a Certificate o The Massachusetts Department of Revenue strongly recommends that you request your Certificate of Good Standing through MassTaxConnect, as it is the fastest and most efficient method. If your organization is in good standing, approved certificates are generally available within 24–48 hours and can be downloaded and printed directly from MassTaxConnect.

o Paper applications for a C.O.G.S. can take 4-6 weeks to be processed

Step 3: Review Committee A review committee will review and score all eligible submissions, and recommendations will be presented for final approval. The Executive Office of Education reserves the right to request additional information from any applicant to ensure that the review committee has a complete understanding of the program concept. The review committee may be composed of designees from the Executive Office of Education and representatives from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Step 4: Notification of Grant Award Status All applicants will be notified of their award status through their EOE Grants accounts. Applicants who are identified for an award may be required to submit a copy of the organization’s most recent audited financial statement prior to the grant announcement. In addition, prior to the grant award, Executive Office of Education staff may review an organization’s fiscal systems and internal controls to verify that the organization has the capacity to manage public grant funds and administer the program.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be reviewed and scored based on overall scores in the following selection criteria areas, with a possible total of 100 points (max 105 with a bonus question).

Section Max Points I. Organizational Capacity & Experience 10 II. Recruitment 20 III. Fellowship Model 25 IV. Retention 30 V. Outcomes & Budget 15 VI. Scalable Impact (Bonus) 5 Max Total Score 105 http://www.mass.gov/dor/businesses/programs-and-services/certificate-of-good-standing.html http://www.mass.gov/dor/businesses/programs-and-services/certificate-of-good-standing.html https://mtc.dor.state.ma.us/mtc

Additional Evaluation Notes: In addition to the scoring system outlined above, the Executive Office of Education reserves the right to consider only submissions that, in our sole judgment, are complete and responsive to the solicitation’s requirements and include all required application components.

Targeted Teacher Diversity Grant Questions – must be submitted through EOE Grants. Any other form will not be accepted.

I. Organizational Capacity and Experience (5,000 characters max)

• Describe your organization’s mission, history, and primary areas of work.

o How does your work align with EOE’s commitment to building a diverse, culturally responsive, and inclusive educator workforce?

o How does your organization define “diverse educators” within your work?

• What regions of Massachusetts do you serve?

o Describe your existing partnerships with districts, educator preparation programs, or community organizations.

II. Recruitment (5,000 characters max)

• Describe how your organization supports schools or districts in evaluating and improving their recruitment and hiring practices. Note: Recruitment strategies may include formal systems audits, relationship-based pipeline development, community-based outreach, or other innovative approaches aligned with organizational strengths.

o How do you address barriers embedded in traditional recruitment and selection processes?

o Describe any innovative or non-traditional approaches you use to recruit diverse educators.

III. Fellowship Model (6,000 characters max)

• Describe your cohort-based fellowship model.

o Length of fellowship o Cohort size o Selection process o Program components (coaching, mentoring, professional development, etc.)

Provide examples of PD topics or coaching you facilitate. How do these offerings connect to classroom impact and instructional improvement?

o Structure and frequency of engagements o Feedback loops

• Describe how, if at all, your organization is navigating current district budgets and teacher layoffs. How does this impact your strategy to build a more diverse workforce?

IV. Retention (4,500 characters max)

• What percentage of fellowship participants remain in the profession after 1 year? 2 years? 3 years? Provide data to support. Note: Applicants serving smaller cohorts are encouraged to contextualize retention rates by cohort size and participant characteristics.

• What data do you collect related to educator experience, retention, satisfaction, or school climate?

o How do you use that data for program improvement?

V. Outcomes (3,600 characters max)

• How will this funding expand, deepen, or sustain your current work? Provide a detailed budget narrative describing how funds will be used.

• How will this work continue after this one-time funding concludes?

VI. Scalable Impact - Bonus (6,000 characters max)

• Describe the extent to which your model could be expanded or adapted to serve additional districts, regions, or educator cohorts. Be sure to address:

o Organizational readiness for scale o Key conditions required for successful expansion o Risks or constraints to scaling o How scaling would preserve program quality and educator-centered design

• What practical guidance would you offer districts in the early stages of building a more diverse workforce or struggling to do so?

Application Forms and Guidance

A complete proposal will be submitted online through the EOE Grants Management system. Unless otherwise indicated, all sections must be completed. Complete instructions for using the online application system are available here: Webinar for Applicant Guidance and Training for EOE Grants.

https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary https://masseoe.egrantsmanagement.com/DocumentLibrary