The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA) announced today that all three states it recently supported with applications won U.S. Department of Education grants, resulting in up to $153 million to support hundreds of thousands of students learning to read more effectively.
Earlier this month, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Ohio each won a Comprehensive Literacy State Development grant, with possible total awards ranging from $38 million to $60 million over five years depending on appropriations from Congress and grantee progress. The funding comes at a critical time as states move to implement practices backed by the science of reading just as COVID-related federal funding is running out. Read the full press release here.
Author: cfa-dev
CFA Supports MyVillage Project with $1 Million NSF ExLENT Win
MyVillage Project, a Jacksonville, Florida-based collective of Black-led grassroots organizations, was awarded nearly $1 million this month from the National Science Foundation’s Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies (ExLENT) program. Community Funding Accelerator provided grant writing support for MyVillage Project, which successfully navigated the federal grant process on its very first application! Read the full press release here.
Learn more about CFA’s partnership with MyVillage Project:
CFA Supports $20 Million EDA Grant Win in Birmingham
The City of Birmingham, Alabama and a group of community partners are receiving $20 million in federal grant funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, the most competitive grant programs in the agency’s history. Community Funding Accelerator established K-12 education as the foundation for the workforce readiness strategy in addition to providing application and site visit support. Read the full press release here.
In Interview, CFA Team Highlights Heartland Bioworks Tech Hubs Win
CFA’s Amy Zhou was recently interviewed along with the Applied Research Institute’s Bioworks Executive Vice President Andrew Kossack and U.S. Sen. Todd Young about Heartland Bioworks’ Tech Hubs win.
“There’s a workforce shortage and at least 2,200 bio manufacturing workers per year in Indiana, and this funding will help young people enter these careers and fill that gap,” said Zhou for the Indianapolis TV story.
Watch the interview here.
CFA Featured at ASU+GSV Summit Panel
Earlier this year, the Community Funding Accelerator and its partners had the opportunity to present at one of the biggest education conferences in the country.
Nick Rodriguez, the CEO of Delivery Associates, the public sector consulting firm that leads CFA, moderated a panel discussion at ASU+GSV that featured:
- Mayor Randall L. Woodfin of Birmingham, Alabama
- Mayor Donna Deegan of Jacksonville, Florida
- Corban Tillemann-Dick, founder and CEO of Maybell Quantum
- Katie Jenner, the Secretary of Education at the Indiana Department of Education
The group discussed the importance of collaboration between schools and the private sector to promote long-term economic prosperity. The leaders also discussed the role of organizations like CFA in increasing awareness and equitable access to workforce development opportunities.
Communities win over $90 million through EDA’s Tech Hubs Program
With support from the Community Funding Accelerator, Indiana’s Heartland Bioworks will receive $51 million and Colorado’s Elevate Quantum will receive $41 million through the federal Tech Hubs program, the U.S. Economic Development Administration announced today.
Both projects propose cultivating a deep talent pipeline that begins in K-12 schools, connecting the next generation of technology leaders to hands-on learning opportunities and potential employers.
In Indiana, the Tech Hub proposes to serve over 19,000 students with interactive learning experiences in human, animal, and plant biosciences that will result in industry-recognized credentials and employment opportunities.
In the Mountain West, this project seeks to help launch over 50 startups, upskill more than 30,000 workers, and engage more than 600,000 students in over 45 education partners to create a global epicenter for quantum information technology.
CFA played a pivotal role in developing these winning proposals, providing strategic advisory, spearheading grant writing efforts, engaging consortia, and developing innovative workforce models. CFA’s expertise was crucial in navigating the federal grant application process and ensuring the success of these bids.
Read the full Heartland Bioworks press release here.
Read the full Elevate Quantum press release here.
Supporting Communities To Unlock Federal Grant Opportunities: CFA featured on the National League of Cities Blog
CFA authored a blog post featured on the National League of Cities Citiesspeak blog. The post explores the challenges communities face accessing competitive federal funding and the new model of support CFA provides to help communities across the U.S. win federal dollars and scale innovative education and workforce solutions. Read the full article here.
CFA helps DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education win $4.1 Million+ to Expand Postsecondary Employment Opportunities
The DC Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE), supported by The Community Funding Accelerator (CFA), received $4.1M from the Department of Education for three years, with a potential extension worth $2.95M, to enhance healthcare and cybersecurity career pathways for high school students in the District of Columbia. This initiative aims to improve postsecondary employment and education opportunities for students, offering equitable education and clear paths to post-graduation employment. Focused on the District of Columbia’s Advanced Technical Center (ATC), the program features fee-free dual enrollment and work-based learning opportunities, including paid internships and industry-recognized credentials, in both healthcare and cybersecurity fields.
During the application process, CFA provided the DC coalition with strategic advisory sessions with an experienced Department of Education grant writer, full mock scoring, and grant review to identify opportunities to further strengthen their application. Read the full press release here.
Philanthropy’s Big Bet: CFA showcased in Philanthropy Daily op-ed
CFA was featured in a Philanthropy Daily op-ed, spotlighting its support model. The piece delves into the hurdles communities encounter in securing competitive federal grants and highlights the ways CFA provides comprehensive support—from demystifying the application process to guiding coalitions to turn their winning, innovative ideas into action.
Read the op-ed here.
CFA Community Spotlight: MyVillage Project
Meet Ronnie King and the team at the MyVillage Project in Jacksonville, Florida. CFA is partnering with coalitions like the MyVillage Project all over the U.S. to support their applications for competitive federal grants.