The Universal Donor Program (UDP) has been created to support higher education programs and services that lift students out of poverty through degree completion and job placement, leading to them earning family-sustaining wages.
During this pilot phase, only predominately associate degree-granting regionally accredited institutions that are members of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) may submit projects for funding aligned to one of the six (6) categories identified through outcomes data as moving the needle for students.
Projects requesting tuition assistance or personnel for the college are not eligible for consideration.
The categories are:
- Student Basic Needs and Mental Health. Strategies that allow students to maintain their privacy and dignity while seeking help with food, housing, and other basic needs and mental health supports.
- Student Support Services. Program or resource that provides educational support through tutoring, advising, coaching, early alert systems, and interventions that keep students on their chosen educational pathway.
- Technology-enabled learner engagement. Technology, platforms, systems, and digital content are used to extend and enhance student-centered learning.
- Creating a sense of belonging in the classroom. Support for strategies that create a sense of belonging and self-efficacy for students that impact their retention, persistence, and completion.
- Academic and Workforce. Projects that accelerate a student’s time to a degree through transfer to a four-year university or completing a credential leading to a family-sustaining wage job.
- Internships and Earn-and-Learn Opportunities. Support for successful college/corporate partnerships that allow students to work in the field they are studying and gain invaluable hands-on experiences.