Out-of-School Time Grants

Out-of-School Time Grants is sponsored by Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. These grants support K-12 life sciences programs in Massachusetts, with a focus on out-of-school time initiatives for underserved students.

Out-Of-School Time Grants - MLSC Out-of-School Time Grants Additional Grantee Responsibilities The application period for 2026 grants will run from Oct. 20 to Feb. 23, 2026 at 5 p.

m. EST. The Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC) seeks to further the development and expansion of life sciences education and training for Massachusetts K-12 students by investing in impactful out-of-school time (OST) programs.

The MLSC anticipates awarding transformational grants that enable non-profit organizations to implement new or expanded programming offered beyond the traditional school day, predominately serving underrepresented and/or low-income youth. Applicants can request grant funding of up to $30,000 for program design and implementation costs, including personnel, operations, stipends, equipment, materials, supplies, and/or technology.

Applicants will be asked to provide a detailed program description, plans for career awareness/exploration activities, identification of industry/community partners (and at least one letter of support), anticipated outcomes and evaluation plan, team qualifications, an itemized budget, and sustainability plan.

Investments made through this program seek to: Reinforce, complement, and supplement life sciences education currently offered by public schools. Provide students with new technical and professional skills development relevant for careers in the life sciences. Expose students to state-of-the-art life sciences equipment, tools, and technologies.

Catalyze and grow innovative programming serving under-resourced communities. Reinforce, complement, and supplement life sciences education currently offered by public schools. Provide students with new technical and professional skills development relevant for careers in the life sciences.

Expose students to state-of-the-art life sciences equipment, tools, and technologies. Catalyze and grow innovative programming serving under-resourced communities. Investments made through this program seek to: Reinforce, complement, and supplement life sciences education currently offered by public schools.

Provide students with new technical and professional skills development relevant for careers in the life sciences. Expose students to state-of-the-art life sciences equipment, tools, and technologies. Catalyze and grow innovative programming serving under-resourced communities.

Applicants can request grant funding of up to $30,000 for program design and implementation costs, including personnel, operations, stipends, equipment, materials, supplies, and/or technology.

Applicants will be asked to provide a detailed program description, plans for career awareness/exploration activities, identification of industry/community partners (and at least one letter of support), anticipated outcomes and evaluation plan, team qualifications, an itemized budget, and sustainability plan.

Eligibility and Evaluation Applicants must be a non-profit organization or public school/district (meeting same criteria as for Elementary and Secondary Education Grants) delivering OST programming relevant to the life sciences. Funding must be requested for programs that: Occur outside of the traditional school day (e.g. after-school, weekends, school vacation weeks, and summer). Operate entirely within Massachusetts.

Serve Massachusetts K-12 students/schools that meet any of the following descriptions: Vocational technical high school as determined by Chapter 74 of the General Laws of Massachusetts. Public school (including charter) located in one of the following “Gateway Cities” as determined by Sec. 3A of Ch.

23A of the General Laws of Massachusetts: Attleboro, Barnstable, Brockton, Chelsea, Chicopee, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Leominster, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Methuen, New Bedford, Peabody, Pittsfield, Quincy, Revere, Salem, Springfield, Taunton, Westfield, and Worcester.

Public school (including charter) with a student population of at least 25% classified as “low income” by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). Tuition-free private school primarily serving low income/ underrepresented students.

Enrolled in the METCO Program , funded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to expand educational opportunities, increase diversity, and reduce racial isolation, by permitting students residing in certain cities to attend public schools in other communities that have agreed to participate.

Homeschooled residents of a “Gateway City” (as defined above) or a city/town where the public school(s) has a student population of at least 25% classified as “low income” by DESE. Prepare students with skills relevant for life sciences careers.

The “life sciences” are defined in the MLSC’s enabling legislation as “ advanced and applied sciences that expand the understanding of human physiology and have the potential to lead to medical advances or therapeutic applications.

” Program activities/curricula and associated equipment, supplies, and technology should seek to enhance STEM skills relating to human biology/biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, robotics, and/or computer/data science that will prepare them for life sciences careers in sectors such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, medical device/technology, medical diagnostics, bioinformatics, and digital health.

Activities related to the following are NOT eligible for funding: Earth and Space Science, Clean Tech/Energy, Environmental Science, Gardening/Botany, Veterinary Assisting, and Allied Health careers such as nursing and medical assisting. Please read the full Solicitation (posted below) for more information about program eligibility and review criteria. The application for 2026 grants will be available starting Oct.

20, 2025. The deadline to apply is Feb. 23, 2026 at 5 p.

m. EST. Additional Grantee Responsibilities Grant recipients are required to submit an annual report by June 30th of each year for three (3) consecutive years, with the first report due on June 30th of the first academic/school year during which the equipment purchased through the grant was fully utilized.

The reports are to be completed using an online form to be provided by the MLSC. Each individual school receiving funds will need to complete an individual survey. Here is a sample of the Annual Report.

Grant recipients must submit results from a pre- and post-survey to be completed by students using MLSC-funded equipment. Survey examples can be viewed here . Career Awareness and Exploration Life Sciences Opportunities and Networks for Educators Register for Info Session Register for Info Session The MLSC has awarded over $1.

68 million in funding to non-profit organizations offering hands-on OST STEM programming. Grants provided essential resources for organizations serving underrepresented youth, enabling them to launch new initiatives/programs, build capacity, and/or expand geographic reach. to nonprofit organizations offering hands-on OST STEM programming.

Grants provide opportunities for underrepresented youth through new programs and initiatives. If you have any questions regarding the application process, e-mail: OST@masslifesciences. com .

Data Science Internship Program Accepting Applications , Internships High School Apprenticeship Challenge Novel Therapeutics Delivery COVID-19 Response , Manufacturing COVID-19 Manufacturing Emergency Response Team Funding Accelerating Coronavirus Testing Solutions (A. C. T.

S.) Join the Heart of the Hub This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. Olaris is a precision diagnostics company that is on a mission to revolutionize how diseases are diagnosed and treated.

By leveraging their CEREBRO platform (Comprehensive Early Responsive Evaluation of Biomarkers Related to Outcomes), which combines metabolomics and machine learning, they are able to harness the power of the body’s own communication system to discover and develop their pipeline of myOLARIS precision diagnostics.