NCICU has been fortunate to receive a number of grants over the years that have provided programming that benefited students. Current grant-funded initiatives include:
Reverse Transfer Grant – NCICU received a $30,000 grant from a fund through the Council of Independent Colleges to develop a Reverse Transfer project. The CIC grant required $30,000 in matching funds which were contributed by the Lumina Foundation and the North Carolina Community College System. Many two-year college students transfer without completing an associate degree, but the credits they earn at the four-year college or university can be transferred back to the two-year college to complete the associate degree which will increase the degree attainment of North Carolina residents even as the students continue work on their bachelor’s degree. (More)
Transfer Pathways Grant – NCICU is in the second of three years of a $400,000 CIC grant from the Teagle Foundation for a project to develop private college pathways in North Carolina which can be used as a model in other states. Fourteen NCICU institutions are paired with 14 two-year colleges, to develop pathways in in Psychology and Sociology. (More)
Digital Learning Initiative – In 2018, NCICU and the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) entered into an agreement “to develop and implement a comprehensive professional development strategy and solution for teachers and for students in educator preparation programs for the use of technology and digital resources as teaching tools for K-12 students.” This agreement has been extended a number of times, allowing the NCICU DLI Work Group to continue to meet regularly to collaborate on aspects of the professional development strategy with digital learning partners, DPI, Friday Institute, and The University of North Carolina. Learn more about the Digital Learning Initiative.
Library Collaborative Grant – This project is one component of a long-term effort by the NCICU libraries to build an effective framework to support collaboration among our libraries: the NCICU Library Collaborative (NLC). An $81,000 Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant facilitates collaboration among NCICU campus libraries. The grant is supplemented by a $4,500 Planning Grant from the Council of Independent Colleges that was matched by NCICU donors.
SAS – The NCICU/SAS® Software Grant is an annually renewable software offering provided by SAS® as an in-kind gift to all North Carolina Independent Colleges & Universities to help maximize cost-savings at the institution level. The grant includes software and publications, as well as allotted training hours that replenish once a year. The initiative continues to grow in the number of institutions receiving the software and the amount of software licensed.
The Hunt Institute, with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, provided $15,000 to support NCICU’s participation in the Informed Decision-Making Collaborative to develop proposals for a research agenda for the state’s longitudinal data system.
The John M. Belk Endowment donated $50,000 to NCICU to provide additional staff support for NCICU’s work to help NCICU campuses address challenges caused by the COVID-19 crisis.
Mentoring Grant – NCICU’s iBELONG Mentoring Program is designed to increase persistence, retention and/or graduation rates of at-risk students on campus through mentoring, coaching, and forums in which students can explore various career opportunities. NCICU received a $27,500 from the Council of Independent Colleges, which was matched, in large part by the VF Foundation, for a total of $55,000. Following the success of the first year of the program, NCICU sought additional funding to expand the program and has received a $40,000 grant from Wells Fargo.
Faculty-Student STEM Mentoring Program – NCICU received funding to implement a three-year program that will seek to improve student retention and graduation rates among first generation college students, women, and students of color majoring in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM). Twelve of North Carolina’s private, nonprofit colleges and universities will be invited to participate in the program, including the five historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). A total of $280,750 has been provided by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation, the Council of Independent Colleges, and the Albemarle Foundation. (more)
Science of Reading – The Goodnight Educational Foundation has awarded NCICU $1 million over two years to support the implementation of the Science of Reading initiative into the curriculum for teacher education students. (more)
SLDS Implementation Grant – The State Office of Budget Management approved $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds for NCICU to implement the State Longitudinal Data System (SLDS). NCICU has been a partner in the SLDS since 2009, when the NCICU Board endorsed the system. NCICU has since participated in a multi-year federal grant to develop the state’s SLDS. The goal of the project is to have better longitudinal education and workforce data available, including for policy makers, as they make decisions about the needs and funding for education from pre-K into the workforce. In February, Governor Roy Cooper signed an Executive Order creating a Governance Board for the system, on which NCICU President Hope Williams will serve.
