Associated Colleges of the Midwest

About Associated Colleges of the Midwest

Associated Colleges of the Midwest’s recent grantmaking is dominated by faculty development at a small set of liberal arts colleges, with St Olaf College receiving $195,914 in 2025 and $159,201 in 2023. That pattern points to a funder that invests in the people who teach, rather than in individuals, and that uses grants to strengthen academic work inside its member-college network. The foundation also awarded $125,718 to Ripon College in 2025 and $114,235 to Beloit College in 2025, reinforcing a clear emphasis on faculty-led work across the consortium. Across the listed grants, the recurring purpose is faculty development, but the recipient mix shows more than one institutional touchpoint. Lawrence University, Colorado College, Macalester College, Carleton College, and Lake Forest College all appear among the larger awards, suggesting a grantmaker that supports multiple colleges over time rather than a single flagship institution. Its stated mission is to enrich residential liberal arts education and strengthen members through collaboration, and the grant record reflects that collaborative, institution-centered approach. The organization does not fund individuals, and the recent grants show support flowing through colleges and academic alliances instead.

What Associated Colleges of the Midwest Funds

Faculty development is the clearest throughline in the grant record. In 2025, Associated Colleges of the Midwest gave $113,192 to Lawrence University for faculty development, and it gave $111,366 to Colorado College for the same purpose. In 2023, Lake Forest College received $70,303 for faculty development, followed by another $43,985 in the same category. The foundation also supports professional growth at the consortium level. Big Ten Academic Alliance received $25,500 in 2023 and $12,406 in 2025, both tagged faculty development. That pattern shows support for academic collaboration beyond a single campus. Grant titles and program descriptions point to teaching, curriculum, and leadership as recurring interests, aligning with its existing focus areas in higher education, research and innovation, student success, and equity and inclusion. The recent awards are institution-based and tied to faculty work rather than individual awards.

How Associated Colleges of the Midwest Gives