Gaining Early Awareness & Readiness for Undergrad Programs (GEAR UP) Partnership

 
  • Grants Office Grantwriting service fee is currently unavailable for this grant
    Get more information on grantwriting

    CFDA#

    84.334A; 84.334S
     

    Funder Type

    Federal Government

    IT Classification

    B - Readily funds technology as part of an award

    Authority

    Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE)

    Summary

    The GEAR UP Program is a critical component of the Department's efforts to improve college access and completion for students who have been traditionally underrepresented (such as low-income and students with disabilities) in post-secondary education. The Department believes that GEAR UP projects can play an essential role in improving post-secondary outcomes of their participants by placing a greater emphasis on increasing readiness for success once students reach the post-secondary level.


    The objectives of the GEAR UP Program are: (1) to increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education of participating students; (2) to increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education of participating students; and (3) to increase educational expectations for participating students and increase student and family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation, and financing. GEAR UP grantees can improve college readiness by identifying at an early age students likely to be referred to remediation at the post-secondary level and by engaging in strategies to address their needs at the secondary level, limiting their need to take remedial courses in college.


    GEAR UP offers two grants programs:

    • State grants - Competitive six-year matching grants that must include both an early intervention component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students and a scholarship component.
    • Partnership grants - Competitive six-year matching grants that must support an early intervention component and may support a scholarship component designed to increase college attendance and success and raise the expectations of low-income students.

    Note: This summary covers only the "Partnership grants".


    For FY 2024, there are three competitive preference priorities for partnership grants.

    • Competitive Preference 1: Increasing Postsecondary Education Access, Affordability, Completion, and Post-Enrollment Success. Projects that are designed to increase postsecondary access, affordability, completion, and success for underserved students by establishing a system of high-quality data collection and analysis, such as data on persistence, retention, completion, and post-college outcomes, for transparency, accountability, and institutional improvement.
    • Competitive Preference 2: Meeting Student Social, Emotional, and Academic Needs. Projects that are designed to improve students' social, emotional, academic, and career development, with a focus on underserved students, through creating education or work-based settings that are supportive, positive, identity-safe and inclusive with regard to race, ethnicity, culture, language, and disability status, through developing trusting relationships between students (including underserved students), educators, families, and community partners.
    • Competitive Preference 3: Moderate Evidence. Applications supported by evidence that meets the conditions in the definition of "moderate evidence," defined as evidence of effectiveness of a key project component in improving a relevant outcome for a sample that overlaps with the populations or settings proposed to receive that component, based on a relevant finding. To address the priority, an applicant may submit up to two study citations that it believes supports the implementation of a GEAR UP authorized activity proposed in the application and that meet the moderate evidence standard.
     

    History of Funding

    In 2018, Partnership awards had $64,833,000 in funding. In 2021, Partnership awards had $35,617,582 in funding. Previous award information is available at: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/gearup/awards.html.

    Additional Information

    For partnership grantees, activities must include: providing financial aid information for post-secondary education, encouraging enrollment in rigorous and challenging coursework in order to reduce the need for remediation at the post-secondary level, and implementing activities to improve the number of participating students who obtain a secondary school diploma and who complete applications for and enroll in a program of post-secondary education.


    Activities may also include: mentoring, tutoring, supporting dual or concurrent enrollment programs that support participating students in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM); academic and career counseling; financial and economic literacy education; and exposure to college campuses. 


    The effectiveness of this program depends on the rate at which program participants complete high school and enroll in and complete a post-secondary education. Under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), the department has developed the following performance measures to track progress toward achieving the program's goals: 

    • The percentage of GEAR UP students who pass Algebra 1 or its equivalent by the end of 9th grade.
    • The percentage of GEAR UP students who graduate from high school. Note: For each GEAR UP project, the high school graduation rate is defined in the State's approved accountability plan under Part A of Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, as amended (ESEA).
    • The percentage of GEAR UP students who complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
    • The percentage of GEAR UP students and former GEAR UP students who are enrolled in an IHE.
    • The percentage of current GEAR UP students and former GEAR UP students who enrolled at an IHE and persisted to the second year of postsecondary education at the initial or a subsequent IHE.

    Contacts

    Karmon Simms-Coates

    Karmon Simms-Coates
    400 Maryland Avenue S.W. Room 7E311
    Washington, DC 20202
    (202) 453–7917

    Julius Cotton

    Julius Cotton
    400 Maryland Ave, SW room 278-44
    Washington, DC 20202
    202-245-6288

    Ben Witthoefft

    Ben Witthoefft
    U.S. Department of Education
    400 Maryland Avenue Southwest., room 2c215
    Washington, DC 20202
    (202) 453-7576

    Donald Peasley

    Donald Peasley
    400 Maryland Avenue SW., Room 3E334
    Washington, DC 20202-6200
    (202) 453–7982
     

  • Eligibility Details

    Partnerships consisting of

    • One or more local educational agencies (LEA), and
    • One or more degree granting institutions of higher education (IHE).

    Partnerships may include not less than two other community organizations or entities, such as businesses, professional organizations, State agencies, institutions or agencies sponsoring programs authorized under the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership Program, or other public or private agencies or organizations

    Deadline Details

    Applications are to be submitted by May 7, 2024. A similar deadline is anticipated, biennially.

    Award Details

    The estimated funding available in 2024 for the GEAR UP Partnership awards is $40,000,000. Awards range from $100,000- $5,000,000 with an average award of $1,200,000. The maximum award is $800 per student per year. Up to 34 awards will be granted. The project period is either 72 months or 84 months. A cost-share of 50% is required (i.e. 1:1 match of non-federal funds for every federal dollar requested). 

    Related Webcasts Use the links below to view the recorded playback of these webcasts


    • Funding Classroom Technology to Empower Students and Teachers - Sponsored by Panasonic - Playback Available
    • Maximizing Technology-friendly Workforce Development Grants - Sponsored by Panasonic - Playback Available
    • Funding Data-driven Workforce Development Projects - Sponsored by NetApp - Playback Available

 

You have not selected any grants to Add


Please select at least one grant to continue.


Selections Added


The selected grant has been added to your .



  Okay  

Research Reports


One of the benefits of purchasing an UPstream® subscription is
generating professional research reports in Microsoft® Word or Adobe® PDF format
Generating research reports allows you to capture all the grant data as
well as a nice set of instructions on how to read these reports


Watchlists and Grant Progress


With an UPstream® subscription you can add grants to your
own personal Watchlist. By adding grants to your watchlist, you will
receive emails about updates to your grants, be able to track your
grant's progress from watching to awards, and can easily manage any
step in the process through simplified workflows.

Email this Grant


With an UPstream® subscription, you can email grant details, a research report,
and relevant links to yourself or others so that you never lose your
details again. Emailing grants is a great way to keep a copy of the
current details so that when you are ready to start seeking funding
you already know where to go