Opportunity Overview
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) is accepting FY2027 applications for the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act (Perkins V) Secondary Allocation Grant, Fund Code 0400. The federal entitlement grant supports Massachusetts school districts and consortia in improving secondary career and technical education (CTE) programs and career-connected learning.
Deadline
DESE lists the application due date as Wednesday, September 23, 2026. The governing public RFP page does not publish a clock time or time zone. Atlas therefore does not infer one. New applicant outreach should not begin unless the exact cutoff time and time zone are authoritatively confirmed and at least 48 hours remain.
Eligibility
Eligible recipients are districts or consortia that qualify under U.S. Department of Education criteria, offer CTE programs compliant with Perkins V, and develop and maintain a Comprehensive Local Needs Assessment (CLNA). Awards are made to eligible recipients after DESE reviews and approves the submitted application.
Funding
FY27 Fund Code 0400 allocations are formula-based entitlement awards and DESE has now published the FY2027 district allocations. Published awards range from $16,630 for Dighton-Rehoboth to $1,687,584 for Boston, with many regional vocational technical districts receiving six-figure allocations. The allocation table is applicant-specific rather than a competitive per-applicant ceiling.
Allowable Use and Equipment Controls
Funds must be used in accordance with Perkins V and must supplement rather than supplant non-Federal funds. DESE expressly provides a Perkins allowable-cost guide and quick-reference resource. The RFP also establishes a capital-equipment approval path: non-construction capital expenditures, including equipment costing $30,000 or more, require prior-approval documentation with the budget. Capital expenditures are described as tangible or intangible assets with a useful life greater than one year that meet or exceed the applicant’s capitalization threshold. A final contract or purchase order must be uploaded before grant funds are drawn for the expense; proposed expenditures of $100,000 or more without a final contract or purchase order require the organization’s procurement policies and procedures.
Any specific clinical, telehealth, diagnostic, nursing, EMS, or health-science equipment purchase must still be validated against the applicant’s approved CTE program, CLNA, Perkins required uses, DESE allowable-cost rules, procurement requirements, and project-specific budget. Atlas should not treat equipment eligibility as automatic.
Required Application Elements
The application is submitted through DESE’s Grants for Education Management System (GEM$). The FY27 Federal Grant Assurances signature pages must be properly executed by the Superintendent or Executive Director and uploaded in the LEA Document Library. Grant submission also requires established grant-writer, LEA fiscal, and Superintendent/Chief Executive approval roles. Goods and services may not be procured before DESE receives and approves a substantially approvable application, and the Grant Award Notice issued in GEM$ is the official award notice.
Atlas Fit Analysis
Atlas Opportunity Score: 90/100. This is a broad Massachusetts CTE entitlement lane with strong school-funding relevance, established eligible recipients, and a documented equipment/capital-expenditure path.
School/Education Funding Score: 98/100. The program directly supports secondary CTE programs and career-connected learning.
N9+ Fit Score: 55/100 conditional. A legitimate pathway may exist for an eligible health-science, nursing, EMS, or related CTE program when a specific clinical technology purchase is supported by the CLNA and DESE confirms it is allowable. Do not force fit and do not introduce N9+ in initial applicant outreach.
QC Healthcare Fit: 25/100. Professional or implementation support may be relevant only where it is permitted and directly tied to an eligible CTE project. Applicant-specific allowability must be verified.
Dr. Miltie direct-applicant fit: 0/100. The eligible applicants are qualifying school districts or consortia, not Dr. Miltie, LLC. Any Dr. Miltie role would be vendor or support-provider only under an independently eligible applicant’s procurement and grant rules.
Source Control
Controlling source: Massachusetts DESE FY2027 Fund Code 0400 RFP. Atlas verified the source, eligibility, federal funding type, project period, submission method, required assurances, capital-equipment controls, and published due date on September 16, 2026. Because the public RFP lists the due date without a clock time or time zone, Atlas requires authoritative confirmation before any new outreach governed by the 48-hour send gate.