Michigan Center for Adult College Success

Collaborate. Innovate. Transform.

Innovation Investment Awards

The Michigan Center for Adult College Success will be offering Innovation Investment Awards to help postsecondary institutions implement best practices or pilot new ideas to better serve adult students in a way that increases completion rates.

The Center will begin accepting proposals in May from Michigan postsecondary institutions seeking to implement innovative solutions for improving persistence and completion rates among adult learners over the age of 25. The Center is making $5 million available in Innovation Investment Awards through a competitive award process. Grants of up to $1 million will be awarded to Michigan colleges and universities that show they are ready to launch effective, lasting improvements to systems that help students 25 and older obtain postsecondary credentials.  

The goal of this page is to provide enough information to empower eligible applicants to engage in serious planning efforts for whatever opportunities are right for their campus. 

 

GRANT APPLICATION FORM 

The application template is available now for download below. A SLFRF Resource Guide will be added in the coming days to provide additional details on the grant requirements. Applicants are encouraged to develop a draft application that can be transferred to the online portal for final submission. The online application portal will be open May 1-July 15, 2024. 

 

 

Application Assistance

Staff at The Center are available to answer questions throughout the application process. 

Staff Contact: Michelle Burke, Director of Postsecondary Programs and Partnerships 

Email: thecenter@talentfirst.net 

Virtual Office Hours 

Office Hours will be offered weekly from April 29-July 15, 2024. Session times will be posted to this web page as they are scheduled. 

Informational Webinar April 23, 12:00 p.m. ET 

In this webinar, staff from The Center will walk through the grant criteria and application process and be available for questions related to proposals. The webinar will be recorded and posted here. 

 

Pre-review of Draft Applications 

Pre-review of draft applications is available from The Center staff through June 7, 2024. Email a pdf file of the draft application to TheCenter@talentfirst.net.  Allow five business days for review and response. 

 

IMPORTANT DATES 

March 18, 2024 -- Application Form Available 

April 23, 2024 -- Informational Webinar for Applicants 

May 1, 2024 -- Application Portal Opens 

June 7, 2024 -- Last date to submit drafts via email for pre-review. 

July 15, 2024 -- Submission deadline through Application Portal (11:59 pm ET) 

August 8, 2024 -- Innovation Award Recipients Announced 

September 1, 2024 -- Funded Project Begin

August 31, 2026 -- Project Funds Close

 

FAQ - Coming Soon

 

ADDITIONAL FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH THE OFFICE OF SIXTY BY 30 

The Center has coordinated the Innovation Investment Awards to complement the $45 million available through the Office of Sixty by 30 College Success Grants. The Innovation Investment Awards and the College Success Grants are available to support efforts to achieve Michigan’s goal of building a viable workforce by the year 2030, with 60% of working adults in Michigan holding a postsecondary credential that will lead to higher-wage job opportunities. 

 

CONTACT US 

If you are interested in learning about the Innovation Investment Awards as more details on the program become available, please sign up below or email us at TheCenter@talentfirst.net.