First Literacy Grants to support Adult Basic Education Organizations (Massachusetts)

First Literacy Grants support Adult Basic Education (ABE) organizations in the development and trial of innovative education programs through grant funding, hands-on technical support, and field-wide results sharing in our annual event: Spotlight on Innovation in Adult Basic Education.

Donor Name: First Literacy

State: Massachusetts

County: All Counties

Type of Grant: Grant

Deadline: 05/04/2023

Size of the Grant: Up to $15,000

Grant Duration: 1 year

Details:

First Literacy Grants support Adult Basic Education (ABE) organizations in the development and trial of innovative education programs through grant funding, hands-on technical support, and field-wide results sharing in their annual event: Spotlight on Innovation in Adult Basic Education.

Established in 1988, the mission of First Literacy is to ensure that adults with low literacy or limited English proficiency have high-quality educational opportunities that enable them to thrive as individuals and as family members, in their workplaces and in their communities. They support innovative, effective adult education and adult learners who persevere and strive for higher education. The goal of First Literacy Grants is to provide funding that stimulates and supports the development, trial, and implementation of innovative and impactful Adult Basic Education resources and practices.

Grant Levels

First Literacy is offering three (3) types of grants, Program Grants, Organizational Grants and Incentive Grants.

Program Grants: Program grants provide funding for the development, trial, and implementation of innovative and impactful ABE or ESOL teaching and learning resources and practices that are project based, fresh approaches to instruction, curriculum and staff development, and related areas.
- New Programs: Programs that have not received a First Literacy Grant in the past ten years are eligible to apply for up to $7,500 in the first year of the proposed project.
- Returning Programs: Programs that have received a First Literacy Grant in the past ten years are eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in the first year of the proposed project.
Organizational Grants: These grants provide funding for innovative ideas for larger-scale, organization-wide curricula, systems, training, and/or teacher improvement. Grants of up to $15,000 are available and priority is given to projects with a robust data reporting plan.
Incentive Grants
- Second Year Grant: Organizations that received First Literacy funding for the first year of a project are eligible to apply for up to half of their first-year grant amount in a second year of funding.
  - Programs applying for a second-year grant must replicate the program with fidelity in year two including capturing pertinent data and reporting that to First Literacy.
  - Programs must submit a letter of intent to apply for the second-year grant along with the FY 24 grant cycle.
- Project Replication Grant: Your ABE program and another ABE program can each receive $1,000 if:
  - You assist a second ABE program in implementing your grant idea/program. Both programs must submit a brief letter of intent to apply for this grant along with the FY 24 grant cycle

Grant Priority

To fund innovative and impactful ideas that will improve educational and professional outcomes for the students of ABE programs.

To fund ideas that may not be able to be funded through DESE or other major funding sources.
To fund ideas that will have a lasting impact in ABE schools and programs.

Grant Period