GEM$ will prevent grant submission after the due date and time as listed in the RFP posting for competitive grants. If an applicant has technical difficulties trying to submit a grant 10-15 minutes prior to the deadline or has an issue getting the right people to submit their piece forward in the system, there really is not much DESE can do to show evidence of that and keep the grant fair, open and competitive. Please plan accordingly.
DESE wants to partner with districts to have successful grant submissions but districts need to uphold their end of the submission process and refrain from submitting within minutes of the grant submission availability. If issues are encountered so close to the deadline it is very difficult to be able to troubleshoot and assist in time to meet the deadline. An LEA choosing to wait until the very end to submit is at their own risk of becoming disqualified from review.
Please review the DESE Competitive Grant Submission Policy if you intend to apply for any competitive grants in FY2026.