25 May Funding Alert! Child Care Access Means Parents in School Program Grants
Department of Education – Office of Postsecondary Education
Attention institutions of higher education awarding Federal Pell Grant funds! The Department of Education (ED) – Office of Postsecondary Education is accepting applications for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program. Rising childcare costs and reduced capacity of the Early Childhood Education sector to provide childcare due, in part, to workforce shortages, are causing families to choose between school and work. Poverty reduces a student’s opportunity to enter, persist, and complete higher education. Students from low-income backgrounds are more likely to delay enrollment, enroll in college part-time, or drop out. This program supports low-income parents enrolled in postsecondary education by providing campus-based childcare services.
Who is eligible to apply?
Institutions of higher education that awarded a total of $250,000 or more in Federal Pell Grant funds during FY2021 to students enrolled are eligible for this opportunity. This includes private, public, and state institutions of higher education. Applicants are eligible for three percent (3%) of the total amount of all Federal grant funds awarded to students in FY2021 at the institution.
What are the program details?
The CCAMPIS Program supports institutions that are either currently operating an existing childcare program on campus or that propose to create a new campus-based program. In addition, grant funding may be used for before- and afterschool activities and/or to serve the childcare needs of the community served by the institution.
Proposed projects must focus on serving those with the greatest needs. As such, applicants must demonstrate the needs of low-income students at their institution by providing student demographic information, an assessment of childcare capacity on or near campus, any information regarding waitlists for existing childcare services, and any other needs created by concentrations of poverty and/or geographic isolation.
For fiscal year 2022, proposed CCAMPIS projects must meet both of the following absolute priorities:
- Projects must leverage significant local or institutional resources, including in-kind contributions, to support the project activities. This could include technical expertise, financial support, access to social service funding, leveraging foundation or corporate support, etc.
- Projects must utilize a sliding fee scale for childcare services to support a high number of low-income parents pursuing postsecondary education at the institution.
ED offers competitive preference to projects that strengthen cross-agency coordination and community engagement to advance systemic change through evidence-based approaches.
The funder expects to award 83 total grants with a maximum four-year project period. Grant awards will range from $90,000 to $1,000,000 with an estimated average of $465,000 each.
See the full CCAMPIS federal register notice for details of required components and definition of terms.
Proposals are due on July 11, 2022.
What makes a project a good fit?
In addition to the absolute priorities described above, the Department of Education has included three invitational priorities for applicants to consider:
- Supporting students who are single parents by providing resources (with institutional funds) that will enhance the student/parents’ educational, personal, and financial growth;
- Increasing campus-based childcare for infants and toddlers; and
- Providing wrap-around services for low-income parents in postsecondary education, such as by partnering with community organizations to provide additional financial aid, transportation, mental health services, tutoring, peer support groups, etc.
Furthermore, the institution should coordinate with its education curriculum (including early childhood education, if applicable) to meet the needs of education students as well as the parents and children receiving childcare services.
What if I am ready to apply? To move your project forward, take the following action steps as soon as possible:
- Review the full program solicitation for additional details and project activities.
- View the Department of Education’s CCAMPIS program page for examples of previously funded proposals, tips and assistance, program contacts, and other news and resources.
- Mark your calendar for Thursday, June 2, 2022 – the funder is sponsoring an online technical assistance workshop for CCAMPIS applicants. The program page includes contact information for anyone interested in participating.
- Make sure your System for Award Management (SAM) registration is active and be sure you have a Grants.gov profile. You can check your SAM stat us here: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker.
- Confirm your organization’s unique entity identifier (UEI). The federal government recently transitioned to a new system for applicants utilizing a UEI instead of requiring DUNS numbers. All agencies with existing SAM registration have been automatically assigned a UEI. New applicants will request a UEI as part of the SAM registration process. You can find more information about the UEI transition here.
What if I need help with this application?
Contact Assel Grant Services (AGS) today! Our team can help with all aspects of preparing the application and managing the grant if you are awarded. If you would like to discuss this possibility, please contact AGS as soon as possible. Julie Assel, GPC, President/CEO, will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you with a quote for grant services.
What if I am not ready to apply this year?
Start preparing for next year! HHS has a variety of other programs and funding opportunities available that might be a good fit. The office’s website has ample resources, webinars, and descriptions of available or upcoming opportunities.
How do I learn more about federal grant proposal writing, so my application is more likely to be successful?
AGS is excited to offer a Federal Grants Training Series in 2022! The series is designed to support nonprofit leaders before and during the application process. AGS also offers several on demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.
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