The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is accepting FY2027 applications for the CTE Secondary Programs & Postsecondary Programs — Perkins Reserve, Fund Codes 0453 / 0459. This targeted federal Perkins V opportunity supports specifically named Massachusetts school districts and school-district-based postsecondary CTE programs.
Funding and deadline
Applications are due Wednesday, September 30, 2026 through GEM$. DESE’s governing FY27 page does not publish a submission clock time or time zone, so Atlas does not infer one. Because the exact closing time and time zone are not published, new Atlas applicant outreach remains fail-closed unless the controlling source is clarified.
Fund Code 0453 has $40,000 available in total. Named secondary awards range from $5,000 to $10,000. Fund Code 0459 has $100,000 available in total. Named postsecondary awards range from $4,545 to $34,343. DESE states that listed amounts are estimated and subject to funding availability.
Eligible applicants
Fund Code 0453 secondary: Maynard ($5,000, Radio & Television Broadcasting); Norton ($5,000, Business Technology); Old Rochester ($5,000, Early Education and Care); Somerset Berkley Regional School District ($5,000, Marketing); Spencer-East Brookfield ($10,000, Criminal Justice, Early Education and Care, Environmental Science & Technology, and Marketing); Wareham ($5,000, Marketing); and Webster ($5,000, Marketing).
Fund Code 0459 postsecondary: Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical ($11,616); Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical ($7,071); Greater Fall River Regional Vocational Technical ($11,616); Greater Lowell Regional Vocational Technical ($5,556); Montachusett Regional Vocational Technical ($10,101); Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical ($4,545); Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical ($34,343); and Upper Cape Cod Regional Vocational Technical ($15,152). DESE limits this portion to school-district-based postsecondary programs reporting Pell-eligible students in the December 2025 collection.
Allowable uses and restrictions
DESE states that funds may support services, supplies, equipment, curriculum development, and program improvement and delivery expenses that build CTE program quality and capacity and comply with Perkins allowable-cost rules. Federal funds are also subject to applicable Uniform Guidance and EDGAR requirements. The governing FY27 page does not state a separate non-Federal matching percentage.
The project period runs from approval through June 30, 2027. Goods and services may not be procured before DESE receives and approves a substantially approvable application. The Grant Award Notice issued in GEM$ is the official award notice.
Submission
Applications are submitted through the Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). At the LEA level, DESE requires the appropriate grant writer, fiscal, and Superintendent or Chief Executive roles to be established before the due date. Required forms must be uploaded, maintained, or provided as directed in GEM$ and the individual forms.
Atlas fit
Atlas Opportunity Score: 86/100. School/Education Funding Score: 95/100. N9+ Fit: 45/100, conditional. Equipment is expressly an allowable category, but this opportunity is restricted to named CTE programs and the postsecondary list does not identify which Pell-eligible program at each institution will receive the reserve allocation. Any N9+ role therefore requires applicant-specific confirmation that a qualifying health or allied-health CTE program is the funded program, that the device is educationally necessary, and that the purchase satisfies Perkins and DESE allowability and procurement requirements. QC Healthcare Fit: 15/100, conditional. Dr. Miltie direct-applicant fit: 0/100. Dr. Miltie, LLC is not an eligible grantee; any legitimate role would be as a vendor to an independently eligible grantee.
Contact
Program contact: Ramona Foster, Massachusetts DESE Office for College, Career, and Technical Education, Ramona.B.Foster@mass.gov, (781) 338-3945.