Community colleges are sifting through the federal stimulus bill to see what funds they can tap. Some of the funds may come from obvious federal programs, such as ones that specifically mention community colleges, higher education or job training. But grant seekers may have to read between the lines for others.
The U.S. Department of Labor’s job training programs are some of the obvious ones. The federal legislation provides $3.95 billion for training and employment services, including funds specifically for Workforce Investment Act programs.
"These are large cash infusions that essentially amount to an extra year of funding," according to an analysis of the legislation by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Still, securing these job training grants isn’t a given. Distribution will largely depend on community colleges’ relationship with local workforce investment boards (WIBs), through which states will funnel the funds. However, given the amount of money coming to WIBs and the short timeframe they have to distribute it, community colleges are in good position to receive some of those funds, said David Baime, vice president of government relations at AACC.
Colleges that are not already consulting with their WIBs on possible training contracts should do so promptly, Baime added.
The bill also provides $750 million for a competitive grants program, $500 million of which is for research, labor exchange and job training projects to prepare workers for jobs in industries specified in the Green Jobs Act. The remaining $250 million would go toward jobs in the health care sector.
The new program, which has yet to be implemented, equals six annual competitions in the department’s $125 million Community-Based Job Training Grants program, according to AACC.
Other federal funding areas are more murky. For example, the legislation provides $40.1 billion for "state fiscal stabilization" designated for education, which will be distributed to states based on a formula. However, states will have plenty of latitude on disbursing those funds, Baime said. In fact, even though higher education infrastructure is a highlighted activity in the stimulus legislation, states could decide to give all the funds to, say, the state’s flagship university, he said.
"There are no requirements that it has to be equitable," he said.
Again, how much money higher education, and specifically community colleges, will receive will depend largely on institutions’ relationship with state leaders, according to education advocates. Some community college leaders have privately said that they don’t expect their states to designate funds specifically for them.
Other federal programs may also potentially have pockets of funding for community colleges, said Polly Binns, executive director of the Council for Resource Development (CRD), an AACC affiliate organization. CRD is combing through the legislation to find programs that two-year colleges could indirectly qualify for and will compile the information for its members, she said.
For example, The U.S. Department of Homeland Security will receive $1 billion to buy and install detection systems for airports. Community colleges might be able to tap those funds to train workers who will operate the systems.
Other federal programs also don’t mention job training per se, but Binns said many of the programs will need trained workers. It again will require tapping existing partnerships the colleges may have.
College leaders are calling CRD and AACC seeking advice on how to competitively apply for stimulus funds.
"The phone is ringing off the hook," Binns said.
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