Deadline nears for education grants
MIDDLEBURY — The J. Warren & Lois McClure Foundation has announced available funding for the 2016-2017 school year to support projects that create systemic improvement in the access all Vermonters have to post-secondary and career education. A supporting organization of the Vermont Community Foundation, the McClure Foundation envisions a Vermont where all people have abundant opportunities for career education and advancement and no promising position goes unfilled for lack of a qualified applicant.
Funding priority will be given to projects that prioritize low-income students, first-generation college students, adult learners, and/or veterans. All projects should build access to career and postsecondary education with preference for those furthering the implementation of related state legislation such as the Flexible Pathways Initiative; promoting strategies to increase the percent of working-age Vermonters with meaningful credentials; and/or encouraging equal access to work-based learning and career and technical education programs for Vermont students in grades 6-12.
“We’re eager to learn about programs helping Vermont students prepare for the jobs of the future,” says McClure Foundation Vice President Barbara Benedict. “Here in Vermont, diligent hard work across many sectors has moved education forward for students in recent years. Our hope is that McClure Foundation funding will help translate that momentum into more equitable realities for our students.”
Nonprofits and municipal entities interested in applying for funding can submit a Letter of Interest (LOI) by 5 p.m. on Feb. 9. Additional information about the grant round is available at www.mcclurevt.org.