Massachusetts FY2027 Safe, Healthy, and Responsible Digital Life Grants — Up to $60,000 (Fund Code 0177)

2027 School Digital Wellness Grant

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued the competitive FY2027 Safe, Healthy, and Responsible Digital Life Grant Program, Fund Code 0177. The financial-assistance program supports implementation-ready student education on responsible social-media use, digital wellness, media and information literacy, privacy, cybersecurity, cyberbullying and safe digital participation. Funding is available to eligible Massachusetts public school districts, public charter schools and educational collaboratives.

Individual Funding and Required Vendor Set-Aside

DESE anticipates approximately 25–30 individual grants of up to $60,000 each. The estimated statewide program pool of $1,750,000 is not the individual award maximum. A material condition is that each awardee must allocate $25,000 of its award for services from a DESE-approved vendor, including professional learning, reflection and data collection. The vendor bills the grantee and the set-aside is included in, not added to, the grant award. No universal matching-funds percentage is established in the governing RFP.

Eligibility and Priorities

All Massachusetts public school districts, public charter schools and educational collaboratives may apply. Competitive preference is given to eligible applicants serving schools in DESE’s Accelerating Achievement initiative. Proposals should provide developmentally appropriate, evidence-based instructional experiences, educator capacity building, meaningful student and family engagement, accessibility for English learners and students with disabilities, and practical implementation that can finish by June 30, 2027. Applications centered solely on planning, materials purchases or one-time assemblies are not prioritized.

Allowable Expenses and Restrictions

After the mandatory $25,000 vendor allocation, eligible costs may include approved curriculum and instructional materials, stipends for grant activities outside contracted hours, substitute-teacher expenses needed for implementation, student and family learning activities, multilingual and accessible resources, and other approved implementation expenses. Costs incurred before grant approval or after June 30, 2027, and activities unrelated to the approved project are ineligible. Receipt of state funding is contingent on all applicable Massachusetts legal compliance certifications, including any applicable MBTA Communities Act certification.

Application Deadline and Submission

Monday, November 9, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Applications are submitted in DESE’s Grants for Education Management System (GEM$) under Fund Code 0177 and must complete the LEA grantwriter, fiscal approval and superintendent/chief executive approval stages by the deadline. New organizations without a configured LEA account must request temporary access at least five business days in advance. DESE’s questions deadline was October 23, with responses anticipated by October 28, 2026. Review the governing RFP, key requirements and updated FAQs before applying.

Official Funder Instructions

Massachusetts DESE — FY2027 Fund Code 0177 controlling RFP and online submission instructions.