Department of Defense Offers STEM Ed Funding for Community Colleges

The United States Department of Defense is doling out up to $55 million in funding for STEM education at two-year institutions (2YI) and community colleges (CCs). The DoD STEM Community College Consortium grant program seeks institutions forming regional consortia that will "develop and encourage STEM ecosystems" among two- and four-year institutions, industry partners, local education agencies and others, with the goal of developing STEM talent for the workforce.

The development of readily accessible, highly technical and diverse STEM talent is an essential part of the Federal and DoD strategic plans. "The DoD STEM vision is a diverse and sustainable STEM talent pool ready to serve our Nation and extend the Department's competitive edge," the grant documentation states. "Each regional DoD STEM Community College Consortium should collaboratively work with members of their geographical area to promote partnerships that enhance STEM education at 2YI/CCs, while aligning to the DoD STEM mission to 'inspire, cultivate, and develop exceptional STEM talent through a continuum of opportunities to enrich our current and future DoD workforce poised to tackle evolving defense technological challenges.'"

Applicants should focus on one of both of the following goals, the DoD said:

  • "Promote and support the completion of technical training and certificate programs that strengthen the DoD and Defense Industrial Base (DIB) science, technology, and manufacturing workforce," and
  • "Develop, support, and increase the transition of students, especially those from underserved and underrepresented populations to include veterans and their spouses, from 2-year institutions and/or Community College STEM programs to STEM degrees at 4-year institutions."

Proposals will be judged on overall technical merit (including creativity, innovation, feasibility and efficacy), management and approach, and financial viability (long-term sustainability as well as the ability to maximize the investment for critical impact). The program intends to fund approximately five consortia up to $5 million each for an initial three-year period; then, based on performance and availability of funds, each consortium may receive up to $2 million per year in additional funds for three years.

The deadline for applications is March 29, 2022. For more information, visit Grants.gov.

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • black graduation cap with a glowing blue AI brain circuit symbol on top

    Report: AI Is a Must for Modern Learners

    A new report from VitalSource identifies a growing demand among learners for AI tools, declaring that "AI isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must."

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • laptop screen with a video play icon, surrounded by parts of notebooks, pens, and a water bottle on a student desk

    New AI Tool Generates Video Explanations Based on Course Materials

    AI-powered studying and learning platform Studyfetch has launched Imagine Explainers, a new video creator that utilizes artificial intelligence to generate 10- to 60-minute explainer videos for any topic.

  • handshake where one hand is human and the other is composed of glowing circuits

    Western Governors University Joins Open edX as a Mission-Aligned Organization

    Western Governors University is the first organization to join the Open edX project as a "mission-aligned organization" (MAO), a new category of institution-level partnership supporting development of the Open edX open source online learning platform.