Thursday is education & youth day on The Grant Brief.

Two big education foundations both funding the postsecondary access pipeline — but at different scales, with different theories of change. One is betting on workforce-aligned community college partnerships. The other is investing in transfer pathways to liberal arts institutions. Both LOIs are open now.

What we know: Strada Education Foundation is the largest education funder in this lane that many nonprofit EDs don't recognize by name. 495 grants over 2023-2025 totaling $86.5M, with 182 grants landing in 2025 alone — high volume, decent dollars, median $110K. The footprint is genuinely national: top recipient states are Indiana (66 grants), DC (63), California (40), Texas (28), and North Carolina (27). Two-thirds of grants go to higher education institutions; the rest splits across employment/workforce and youth development. Concentration is moderate: Strada Collaborative (a sister entity) received $8.1M = 9% of lifetime giving. Arizona State University Foundation, Texas Higher Education Foundation, and American Council on Education are top external recipients.

Realistic fit: community colleges, workforce intermediaries, and higher ed nonprofits with concrete employer partnerships. The challenge specifically funds projects connecting community college pathways to employer hiring needs — bring receipts on labor market alignment.

What we know: Teagle Foundation made 628 grants over 2023-2025 totaling $30M. Median grant: $25K — well below the $300K ceiling for this RFP, so the published range mostly applies to large multi-year initiatives. Heavy NY concentration (181 grants = 29%), with DC (41), PA (40), California (34), and Ohio (33) following. Half of all grants go to higher education institutions — Bard College, Fordham University, and Foundation for City College are among the largest recent recipients. The Transfer Pathways RFP specifically funds programs that move students from community colleges into selective liberal arts institutions and helps those students complete bachelor's degrees.

Realistic fit: liberal arts colleges with established or emerging community college partnerships, plus the community colleges in those partnerships. Solo applications from community colleges without a four-year partner are unlikely to advance past LOI.

If your work isn't built around community college partnerships, employer alignment, or liberal arts transfer pathways, this batch isn't your fight. Both foundations reward formalized institutional partnerships over single-org proposals.

#HigherEducation #CommunityCollege #WorkforceDevelopment #LiberalArts #GrantWriting