Maryland College Access Challenge Grant
Program
The federally funded College Access Challenge Grant Program
(CACGP) is authorized under The Higher Education Opportunity Act
(Public Law 110-315) which was enacted on August 14, 2008 to
reauthorize and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965. The
enabling statute is found in Title VII, Sec. 801, Part E (20
U.S.C. 1133 et seq.). The CACGP is designed to foster
partnerships among federal, state, and local government entities
and philanthropic organizations through matching challenge
grants that are aimed at increasing the number of low income
students who are prepared to enter and succeed in postsecondary
education. State award amounts are based on a formula that
considers the relative number of persons between the ages of 5
and 17 and 15 and 44 living below the poverty line within the
state. Governor Martin O’Malley has designated the Maryland
Higher Education Commission (MHEC) as the administering agency
for the grant program in Maryland. Maryland received $1.5
million and with its partners provided matching funds in the
amount of $750,000 for the 2010-2012 funding cycle.
MHEC has designated a portion of the funds to support a
competitive sub grant program called the Maryland College Access
Challenge Grant (MCACGP) – Higher Education Student Persistence
Program. Higher Education institutions or partnerships between a
lead higher education institution and non-profits are encouraged
to apply for funds to support evidence-based services and
activities.
Evidence-based services and activities should be designed to
support the college success and persistence of low income,
underrepresented, and/or at-risk students enrolled in Maryland
higher education institutions. The target student beneficiaries
are low-income students and may include traditional aged
students, adult learners, minorities, first-generation, ESOL and
other underrepresented and/or at-risk student groups.
For FY2013, The Maryland Higher Education
Commission is continuing successful partnerships with College
Goal Sunday (www.collegegoalsundaymd.org/index.htm),
the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education (www.mbrt.org),
Maryland Department of Disabilities(www.mdod.maryland.gov),
Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (www.dllr.state.md.us),
Maryland Public Television (www.mpt.org),
and Maryland State Department of Education (www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE).
The mandatory project goals are (1) increase the persistence
rate of participants compared to a control group and/or
historical trends and (2) participants will either attain or
remain in good academic standing. Successful projects will
include an evaluation plan that measures persistence against a
benchmark or control group and will track academic progress for
the duration of the project.
Grant awards range from $25,000 to a maximum of $100,000 per
institution. Successful applicants will provide matching funds
equal to at least one half of the requested federal funds and
which will constitute one third of total project budget.
The 2006 Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency
ACT (FFATA) legislation requires that prime awardees (MHEC)
report information about sub-awardees (MCACGP grantees) to whom
they have granted Federal Funds after October 1, 2010.
For information on the security clearance process click
here.
November 14, 2011,
our new address is 6
N. Liberty St., Baltimore, MD 21201 | Phone: (410)
767-3301 | Toll Free: (800) 974-0203
