Find Funding for Your MTSS Platform
Learn which federal, state, and local funds can pay for MTSS, and match them to your goals in academics, behavior, and safety.
Funding Shouldn't Be the Roadblock
You know your students need a better system of support. Then comes the hard part: finding the money. Many MTSS leaders run into the same obstacles.
- "We don't have the budget." The answer comes before the request is even made.
- Unclear fund eligibility. It's hard to know which Title funds can apply to MTSS.
- Funding in silos. Academics, behavior, and safety often sit under different budgets.
- Federal uncertainty. Many districts aren't sure how much they can count on.
- Grants take time. Writing an application and waiting on a decision doesn't fit every timeline.
The good news: there's often more flexibility than districts realize, and you don't have to figure it out alone.
How Can My School District Find Funding for MTSS?
A practical walk-through of federal, state, and local funding sources, and how to connect them to your MTSS goals.
Read the funding blogWhere Should You Start Looking?
Your best funding options often depend on what you're trying to solve. Start with your goal, then explore the sources that commonly fit.
Academics
Improving core instruction, intervention, and student outcomes.
Sources to explore: Title I, Title II (for professional learning).
Behavior and Student Wellbeing
Supporting social-emotional needs, behavior, and school conditions.
Sources to explore: Title IV, Part A; IDEA Part B (Coordinated Early Intervention Services).
Safety
Behavioral threat assessment, suicide risk screening, and safe, healthy schools.
Sources to explore: Title IV Part A, state school safety grants.
Learn more about Canopy Case Management
Eligibility and allowable uses vary by state and district. Always confirm with your state education agency and business office.
How Are Districts Paying for MTSS?
Many districts assume they have to find a brand-new pot of money. In practice, there's more than one way to fund MTSS.
|
Waiting for new money |
Layering existing funds |
|---|---|
| Hoping for a new budget line |
Looking at what's already in the district budget. |
| Waiting on a single grant |
Combining sources, such as district funds plus Title funds. |
| One department carries the cost |
Aligning academic, behavior, and safety needs to the funds that fit. |
| Request stalls at "we don't have it" |
Request comes with a clear funding plan. |
Make a Stronger Case With a Clear Cost Picture
The MTSS Software Buyer’s Guide helps your team estimate long-term costs and weigh funding options. It includes a cost comparison worksheet you can bring to your superintendent.
Get the Buyer’s GuideMaking the Funding Case to Your Superintendent?
Our "How to Fund Branching Minds for Your District" guide shows how to spread the cost across the funding sources you already have.
How to Fund Branching MindsHear How Districts Fund MTSS
⬇️ Julie Miller-Johnson, Funding and Proposals Associate Director at Branching Minds, explains how districts pay for MTSS and what to expect going forward.
Overcome MTSS Funding Hurdles Today
Want the full conversation? Listen to how districts get past “we don’t have the budget” and build a funding plan that works.

Meet Julie Miller-Johnson, Your MTSS Funding Expert
Julie helps districts match MTSS needs to federal, state, and local funding, from Title I and Title IV, Part A to competitive grants.
Julie Miller-Johnson
Funding and Proposals Associate Director
* Be sure to type “funding” in the comments box of the form so we can connect you with Julie.
Real Districts. Real MTSS Funding.
Applicable perspectives from leaders on making smart, data-backed funding decisions.
"We used Branching Minds data to report to our funder, and last year we leveraged it to help write a large federal grant."
Dr. Laura Blessing
Superintendent, Miamisburg City Schools, OH
"As a public school district, money is limited and so we need to be sure that we are putting the investment, time, resources - people and money - into the right supports. The information we get from Branching Minds helps us identify what supports are working, what ones are used most frequently, and whether they are being implemented with fidelity."
Donna Cross
Executive Director of Research, Accountability, and Data, Evanston-Skokie 65, IL
"We want to show positive improvements to keep getting our Title I money and other federal grants. The collection and centralization of data helps us show what we’re doing is working."
Dr. Julie Thompson
Former Superintendent, Roanoke Rapids Graded School District, NC
Federal Funding Sources for MTSS
Title I, Part A (and Section 1003(a) School Improvement)
Funding for schools with high percentages of low-income students, so all children can reach state academic standards. State education agencies distribute up to 7% of their Title I allocation to districts for improvement activities in the lowest-performing schools (often called School Improvement Grants).
How districts use it:
- Small group reading intervention based on universal screener results
- Intervention teacher staffing
- Intervention and supplementary materials
- Data management and intervention systems
Title II, Part A
Funding to improve teacher and principal quality, including professional development, recruitment, induction, and retention. It may also support the skills of school leaders.
How districts use it:
Professional Learning for MTSS teams on topics such as:
- Making Data-Based Decisions
- Using Early Warning Systems to identify students at risk for attendance, behavior or academics
- Using Data to improve instruction
Title III
What it is: English Language Acquisition funding that helps districts supplement their English language instruction programs.
How districts use it:
Targeted expenses for ML students, including:
- MTSS professional learning for ML teachers
- Data platform to make data-based decisions for ML students
- Instructional supports for ML students
Title IV, Part A
Funding to improve academic achievement through three areas: a well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and the effective use of technology. The Safe and Healthy Students area most closely aligns with MTSS.
How districts use it:
- SEL/B universal screening assessments
- SEL/B intervention resources
- Enrichment resources
Products / Features Used
Title V, Part B: Rural Education Initiative
Designed to help rural districts that often lack the staff and resources to compete for federal grants. It includes the Small Rural School Achievement Program and the Rural and Low-Income Schools Program.
How districts use it:
- Schools with a rural designation get this supplemental funding to use to pay for anything covered by any or all of the other Title funds.
IDEA, Part B
Supports a free, appropriate public education for children with disabilities. While IDEA funds are generally restricted to direct services for students with disabilities, up to 15% may be used for Coordinated Early Intervention Services (CEIS), which can include professional development and academic and behavioral interventions for K-12 students without a disability.
How districts use it:
- Universal screening
- Behavior interventions
- Academic interventions
- Data management system to track and report on screening and interventions
State and Competitive Grants
Many states offer grants for areas like school safety, school improvement, and student wellness. These can add to your funding mix, though they often involve an application and a wait.
- Support areas like safety, improvement and wellness, but expect an application and a wait.
Funding Guides by State
Funding rules and opportunities vary by state. Start with your state's guidance.
Texas
How Texas Districts Can Fund RTI/MTSS Infrastructure: A Practical Guide for District Leaders
This guide is designed to help Texas superintendents, federal programs directors, special education leaders, MTSS coordinators, and district administrators understand where those funding opportunities exist and how they align with district priorities.
- MTSS funding in Texas is not a single-source question. The districts that fund this work most effectively draw on multiple credible pathways and connect each one to a clear, allowable student support purpose.
Illinois
How Illinois Districts Can Fund RTI/MTSS Infrastructure: A Practical Guide for District Leaders
This MTSS funding guide is designed to help Illinois superintendents, federal programs directors, MTSS coordinators, and district administrators understand where those funding opportunities exist and how they align with district priorities.
- MTSS funding in Illinois is not a single-source question. The districts that fund this work well draw on multiple pathways and tie each one to a clear, allowable student support purpose.
California
California's Budget Is Betting Big on Community Schools: Is Your District Ready?
The California legislature recently passed the state budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Included in the bill is $151.4 billion in funding for TK-12 education programs. The goal of this monumental investment is to provide California students with the skills they need to graduate and thrive in the real world.
One notable line item is the $1 billion allocated to the continuation and expansion of Community School Programs. Since the passage of the California Community Schools Partnership Act in 2021, over 2,500 schools and 500 LEAs have used the funds to expand student supports and integrate health and social services directly into their school sites through the lens of MTSS.
- Now, more LEAs will have the opportunity to use the expanded funding to drive similar gains with their students. The question for California district and County Offices of Education leaders is: How do you position your district to make the most of this moment?
Resources to Support Your Funding
Article
How Can My District Find MTSS Funding?
Many funding sources are available for districts to implement components of MTSS. See how your district can uncover funding for your MT...
Read the article
School District Funding FAQs
Districts use a mix of sources, including district funds, federal Title funds, and state or competitive grants. The right mix depends on your size, state, and goals. Blending funding sources is almost always necessary, but also advantageous, as the layered approach contributes to the long-term sustainability of funding and helps broaden the base of support.
Several federal programs support MTSS-related activities, including Title I, Title II, and Title IV Part A. Which fund(s) and the availability of funds depend on your district's strategic priorities and demographics.
It supports a well-rounded education, safe and healthy students, and the effective use of technology. For MTSS, the safe and healthy students area is often the most relevant, as it aligns to creating a positive school climate for student success, including SEL, Behavior, and Student Safety.
Not necessarily. Many districts start with funds they already have and layer in other sources. Grants can add to the mix but often require time to apply and wait for a decision.
Safety-related funding, such as Title IV Part A, the BJA STOP School Violence grant, and state school safety grants, may apply. Learn more about Canopy.
Yes. We can talk through your situation and help you think through sources. Schedule a conversation.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that the Branching Minds platform meets ESSA Level II Standards of Evidence, with improved student outcomes in reading and math. Our intervention library also contains hundreds of strategies aligned to ESSA evidence levels.
Ready to Build Your Funding Plan?
Tell us about your district, and we'll help you figure out where to start.
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