Leveraging Arkansas Community Colleges to Support Economic Development
Exploration
Local Initiatives Support Corporation|$240,000|12/2021 - 7/2023
This grant supports Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation in providing technical assistance to the Arkansas Association of Community Colleges to help their 22 institutions statewide serve as leaders for regional workforce development partnerships.
Building Pathways to Quality Jobs and Financial Security in Rural America
Scaling
Local Initiatives Support Corporation|$1,302,077|5/2020 - 7/2023
This grant supports 11 communities in the Local Initiatives Support Corporation’s Rural Works initiative, a national network of workforce intermediaries committed to modernizing and redeveloping pathways from postsecondary education and training to employment.
Catalyzing Rural Community Colleges Through a Design Challenge
Exploration
Education Design Lab|$1,996,925|4/2020 - 6/2023
This grant supports Education Design Lab in executing a three-year design challenge to develop and pilot new solutions to the question: “How might we improve the ability of rural community colleges to be a critical engine (or catalyst) of growth in their local communities?” Education Design Lab will partner with five rural community colleges to collaboratively structure, design and evaluate new programs.
Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Research Capacity Building Initiative
Scaling
APIA Scholars|$500,000|5/2021 - 6/2023
This grant supports the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund in building the capacity of rural Pacific Island postsecondary institutions to analyze data and use collaborative research strategies to improve their policies and practices. The initiative will increase Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander student success by developing pathways that lead to workforce participation through partnerships and institutional innovation.
Researching and Awarding Excellence in Rural Community Colleges
Scaling
The Aspen Institute Inc|$2,624,131|5/2020 - 4/2023
The grant supports the Aspen Institute in researching and awarding the 2021 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence and the development of a new suite of curricular resources to advance student success at rural community colleges.
Facilitating Career Pathways for Low-Income Rural Students: Cooperative Extension as a Community Connector
Exploration
Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities|$389,100|12/2020 - 3/2023
This grant supports the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities in building, piloting and evaluating a Rural Workforce Engagement Model that engages Cooperative Extension professionals in identifying and addressing the needs of low-income workers and employers in rural communities.
Institutional Transformation in Puerto Rico: Lessons Learned in Resiliency
Validation
Excelencia in Education Inc|$399,700|10/2020 - 12/2022
This grant supports Excelencia in Education in identifying strategies that can support institutional resiliency and promote student success for rural, Latinx learners in the midst of natural disasters and crises. Excelencia will engage rural postsecondary institutions in Puerto Rico, which has experienced multiple natural disasters in recent years, and develop a report and accompanying case studies highlighting lessons learned in supporting access, retention and success for rural learners.
Researching Place-based Learning Experiences' Impact on Rural Postsecondary Learners
Validation
University of Montana|$136,777|6/2020 - 7/2022
This grant supports the University of Montana in researching the impact of place-based learning at postsecondary institutions on student outcomes and achievement. Building on promising research in secondary systems, rural place-based learning focuses on integrating local and regional cultures, history and resources into school programming in an effort to promote student success and engagement.
Landscape Scan on the Role of Intermediaries in Rural Communities
Exploration
Education First |$150,000|12/2021 - 7/2022
This grant supports Education First in completing a landscape scan to identify intermediaries positioned to serve learners from low-income backgrounds across geographies, with a special focus on identifying providers in rural communities.
Defining What It Means to Be a Rural-Serving Postsecondary Institution
Validation
Appalachian State University|$428,000|12/2020 - 6/2022
This grant supports Appalachian State University and researchers from the Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges in utilizing and analyzing various data sources to develop a formal definition of operating as a “rural serving postsecondary institution.” The team will create a series of interactive data tools, corresponding documentation and a list of institutions that meet this definition.
