(HISTORICAL) ROSS for Education Grant

 
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    CFDA#

    14.898
     

    Funder Type

    Federal Government

    IT Classification

    B - Readily funds technology as part of an award

    Authority

    Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

    Summary

    The purpose of the ROSS for Education Grant program is to provide grants to public housing authorities (PHAs) to deploy education navigators to provide individualized assistance to randomly selected public housing youth between the ages of 15-20 and their families in FAFSA completion, financial literacy and college readiness, postsecondary program applications and post-acceptance assistance.

    In HUD's 2014-2018 Strategic Plan, the Department committed itself to Utilizing Housing as a Platform for Improving Quality of Life.” The Strategic Plan further commits HUD to working to promote advancements in economic prosperity for residents of HUD-assisted housing” and it noted the following: Residents of HUD-assisted housing often face challenges such as lack of employable skills and low educational attainment levels that limit their ability to become economically self-sufficient and rise out of poverty. HUD will utilize its housing platform to expand access to employment and educational services.” HUD's commitment to expand access to educational services for youth living in HUD-assisted housing is the basis of ROSS for Education.

    One potentially important barrier to college attendance is that low-income youth are least likely to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) even though they are most in need of financial aid. FAFSA completion could be a useful way to close the college attendance gap because low-income families often overestimate out-of-pocket costs of college. FAFSA completion results in youth receiving information about available financial aid, which could help to change perceptions about college affordability.

    A potential approach, which is presented in this grant program, is to offer high-school/college-age youth (ages 15-20) additional support in completing the necessary steps for enrolling in postsecondary education, including (but not limited to) completing the FAFSA. The FAFSA is generally considered a confusing and burdensome process, and targeted assistance could help reduce barriers to completion. This new demonstration program – ROSS for Education, also known as Project SOAR (Students + Opportunities + Achievements = Results) – will build on the FAFSA awareness experiment by giving researchers an opportunity to evaluate the impact of combining FAFSA awareness with assistance in completing the FAFSA. It will also go beyond the FAFSA by seeking to address other potential barriers to college attendance that may impact low-income youth more than their higher-income counterparts, such as limited financial literacy and college readiness; complicated postsecondary application processes; and the number of steps needed to successfully transition into first year of education after acceptance. Accordingly, ROSS for Education will also include a broader evaluation of whether providing support to youth in completing their FAFSA forms, and navigating the other aspects of the post-secondary education process (such as readiness, application, financing, adjustment, and persistence), has the potential to close gaps in college or other post-secondary attendance.
     

    History of Funding

    None is available.

    Additional Information

    Funds may be used for the following activities/costs:
    • Salaries and benefits for staff (PHA, Education Navigator(s)) who are implementing the ROSS for Education program. Under this award the maximum amount HUD will contribute to a Navigator salary and fringe benefits will be $70,000 per year. Fringe benefits include all costs associated with employment that are normally covered by your agency (e.g. insurance, taxes, retirement contributions, etc.) and in accordance with 2 CFR 200.431;
    • Developing the approach, plan and infrastructure of the program, using evidence-based approaches where possible;
    • Marketing the program to youth participants ages 15-20;
    • Providing education-focused case management and direct services, including intake, assessment, planning, providing individual support to participants in specific tasks necessary to achieve their college and postsecondary enrollment plans, and, as appropriate, referring residents to service providers in the local community and resources available online;
    • Coordinating/connecting program participants (including children with disabilities and limited English proficiency) and their families to resources and tools that support the participants' college and postsecondary enrollment plans;
    • Identifying and coordinating resources/partners that would support the ROSS for Education program/participants;
    • Building/coordinating cross-sector partnerships to support ROSS for Education (e.g., working together with partners in tax preparation, after school programming, scholarship/college access, high schools, guidance counselors, and other community partners);
    • Tracking and reporting on performance measures. HUD will provide templates to be used by Navigators for tracking and monitoring program activities;
    • Training and travel related to program development. All training and associated travel for the ROSS for Education staff must be approved by the HUD Headquarters prior to incurring expenses; and
    • Administrative costs. ROSS for Education grant funds may be used for administrative costs, but such costs may not exceed $10,000 per year.

    Contacts

    Maria-Lana Queen

    Maria-Lana Queen
    451 7th Street SW
    Washington, 20410
    (202) 402-4890
     

  • Eligibility Details

    Eligible applicants are public housing authorities (PHAs) (including newly established consolidated PHAs) that have Annual Contribution Contract units.

    Deadline Details

    Applications were to be submitted by September 28, 2016.

    Award Details

    Up to $2,000,000 is available in total funding to fund 6 awards. Awards will be up to $452,000 per year for up to 2 years. HUD expects to make approximately 4 awards to PHAs with 500 or more youth, ages 15-20, and 2 awards to PHAs with fewer than 500 youth, ages 15-20. A cost match of 25% of the total requested funding is required.

    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

 

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