Project Reach: Service Inclusion for Community College Students

Posted by on September 30, 2005

AACC Project Reach Mentee Colleges 2005 National Grant Competition

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) is pleased to announce the national grant competition for Project Reach: Service Inclusion for Community College Students. Eight community colleges will be selected to create model programs that (1) provide service learning opportunities for community college students with disabilities to enhance employment skills, increase career options, and improve their sense of self-efficacy; (2) offer training in service learning and disability support services to faculty, staff, and administrators and integrate service learning in various disciplines with a focus on including student service learners with disabilities; and (3) participate in a national disability support services survey with dissemination through conferences, and publications. This effort is made possible with the support of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), whose mission is ?to provide opportunities for Americans of all ages and backgrounds to engage in service that addresses our nation’s educational, public safety, environmental and other human needs.? Applicants must be member institutions of AACC.

Grant Requirements
AACC will fund service learning programs that involve community college students with disabilities as service learners, with a focus on their transition from school to work. Mentee colleges must complete a pilot activity in spring 2006 that integrates service learning into one or more courses. Subsequent requirements for Years Two and Three will be available in the RFP. A Service Learning Advisory Committee (comprising at least one administrator, one disability support services staff member, one service learning coordinator or director (if applicable), one student, and one community agency or preK?12 school partner must participate in proposal preparation and project oversight.

Grant Period
January 1, 2006 ? August 31, 2008 (Year One is January 1 ? August 31, 2006)

Funding
Maximum grant of $7,000 for Year One. Grant funds of up to $20,000 per year, per college, are expected for Years Two and Three, pending Congressional authorization and funding. Colleges are required to provide matching funds of at least 25 percent of the grant amount annually.

Travel
Three project team members (two community college faculty or staff and one community partner) must attend the Project Reach planning conference May 22?24, 2006, and two project team members must attend the national conference of the Community College National Center for Community Engagement (CCNCCE), May 25?26, 2006 in Scottsdale, AZ. Grant or matching funds may be used for travel for faculty and staff; AACC will pay for the primary partner?s travel to the planning conference. Travel responsibilities for Years Two and Three will be available in the RFP.

RFP Availability and Deadline
The request for proposals will be posted at <a href="http://www.aacc.nche.edu/projectreach">http://www.aacc.nche.edu/projectreach</a> by September 19, 2005. Deadline for submission is 5:00 pm ET, Tuesday, November 1, 2005. Only electronic applications (PDF format) will be accepted. Send completed proposal to projectreach@aacc.nche.edu.

Contact
Quintin Doromal, Manager, Health and Wellness, AACC, One Dupont Circle NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20036-1176, 202/728-0200 ext. 267, or qdoromal@aacc.nche.edu.