How Can My District Find MTSS Funding?

As school districts across the country implement a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) to address student needs, many administrators are trying to figure out where the money will come from.

While some funds may be available to improve MTSS overall, many funding sources are available for school districts to implement specific components of MTSS—either across a district or for specific populations of students: 

• MTSS is a long-term practice, so federal funding remains the most sustained source of funding for MTSS programs.
• State formula funding varies and is subject to state education budgets.
• State competitive grants are often funded annually but will require districts to file grant applications for each cycle.

The takeaway? Districts may have to look to several funding sources and combine them to fund their MTSS.

What Federal Funding Streams Can Be Used for MTSS?

Multiple federal funding sources are available for school districts to use for MTSS. For example, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides federal funding to state education agencies and local school districts.

• Most federal education funds target specific populations, such as students from low-income families and/or neighborhoods, migratory children and youth, English language learners, and students receiving special education services.
• Other funds are available more broadly for school districts to provide professional learning in MTSS, support social-emotional learning, and supplemental funds for rural school districts.

Professional Learning in MTSS

Title II, Part A funds can be used to provide training and coaching on MTSS-related topics:

• Delivering effective differentiated instruction at all tiers
• Delivering targeted small group intervention for students receiving Tier 2 support
• Delivering intensive intervention for students receiving Tier 3 support
• Making data-based decisions as to when and how to provide support for students
• Conducting MTSS and family-engagement meetings

➡️ Related resource: School Leaders Guide to Your Best MTSS Professional Learning

Supporting Students’ Social-Emotional Needs

Title IV, Part A provides funds that can be used to support MTSS initiatives involving school climate, behavior, and social-emotional learning (SEL).

• Purchase an SEL screener to identify students in need of small-group or individual support in SEL skills, provide SEL interventions to students identified through screening, or hire staff or contract with outside agencies to provide support for students receiving small group or individual Tier 2 or Tier 3 SEL support.

➡️ Related resource: Guide to Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Universal Screening

Supporting Rural School Districts

Title V, Part B provides additional funding for rural school districts to use in flexible ways, including MTSS-related services and activities, such as screening, progress monitoring, professional learning, interventions, and MTSS management.

Blending and Braiding Federal Funds for Targeted Student Populations

Blending involves moving funds from one title fund into another – typically mixing with Title I – where spending must follow the rules governing the absorbing fund.

Braiding is a weaving of funds together to cover expenses across many disparate groups. With braiding, however, each fund must retain and follow its own funding rules.

Students from Low-Income Families and/or Communities (Title I, Part A)

Title I, Part A funds are used for improving the academic achievement of those students who are economically disadvantaged.

• Title I is one of the largest sources of federal education funding.
• These funds can be used for some or all of the components of implementing an MTSS practice—particularly for supporting students receiving Tier 2 and Tier 3 support.

Some examples of how a school district can use Title 1, Part A funds toward MTSS include:

• Hiring intervention teachers (including salary and benefits),
• Providing small group interventions for students reading below grade level,
• Purchasing supplementary and intervention materials in specific content areas (math, literacy, SEL learning, and behavior).

Migratory Children and Youth (Title I, Part C)

Title I, Part C funds are used for the education of migratory children and can be used to provide Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports for students in this population to participate in Tier 2 or Tier 3 activities — such as a summer school program.

English Language Learners (Title III, Part A)

Title III, Part A funds can be used to support English language learners in an MTSS framework:

• Professional learning related to effective intervention and differentiated instruction for EL students,
• Purchasing instructional materials designed to support EL students
• Providing extended instructional time for EL students

Students with IEPs (IDEA, Part B)

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal law that governs education for students with disabilities. Funds from IDEA are generally targeted exclusively for students with IEPs, so any support—whether Tier 1, Tier 2, or Tier 3—that is expressly documented in an IEP can be supported by federal IDEA funds.

Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) 

A portion of IDEA, Part B funds can be set aside for Coordinated Early Intervening Services (CEIS) for students in grades who have not yet received an IEP but require additional academic and behavioral support in a traditional classroom environment.

Are There State Funding Streams Available for MTSS?

Many states provide funding opportunities—either by formula or grants—to individual schools and districts toward MTSS-related activities.

• For example, the Stronger Connections Grants, made available to states through Title IV, Part A, support state-level initiatives for MTSS, wellness, and/or school safety.
• Other state grants for MTSS include but are not limited to:
  • California’s Scaling Up MTSS (SUMS) program
  • Massachusetts’ grant for Supporting Students' Social Emotional Learning, Behavioral & Mental Health, and Wellness
  • Michigan’s 31a grant for student mental health and wellness
  • Minnesota’s MTSS and Closing Opportunities grants.