Grant Opportunity for Rural Education-Employment Partnerships

My name is Megan Langdon and I am part of the CivicLab team.  CivicLab is a nonprofit institute that works with cross-sector teams to address complex social challenges.  Much of our work focuses on improving postsecondary education and talent systems at the local, regional, and state levels.  We recently received a $2.6M grant to support 10 rural partnerships, and are writing today to ask for your help in distributing this opportunity.

CivicLab is proud to release a Request for Partnership application for its Building Rural Community Systems initiative.  With the generous support of Ascendium Education Group and the ECMC Foundation, CivicLab will select 10 rural cross-sector partnerships to participate in a system-building cohort designed to improve the connection of postsecondary education to employment opportunities aligned with future economies.

The program begins in June 2024 and completes in December 2026.  Partnerships selected for the program will: receive $37,000 to offset travel costs and accelerate collaborative work; participate in six in-person convenings; receive unique spatial diversity and labor market data books; participate in coaching and technical assistance from national experts; and, participate in a bi-monthly community of practice.

This capacity- and systems-building initiative is ideal for rural collaboratives seeking to improve postsecondary and economic conditions, and for those looking to strengthen talent pools for emergent economies.

Applications are due on Friday, May 10, 2024.  Interested parties are encouraged to sign up for one of two information webinars: Tuesday, April 10th from 12:00p.m. – 1:00p.m. ET or Thursday, April 30th from 3:00p.m. – 4:00p.m. ET.  Registration for our informational webinars is required.