Access and Equity in Dual Credit Grant

The Illinois Community College Board administers the Access and Equity in Dual Credit Grant to support equitable access to dual credit opportunities across Illinois. The program is entering its third cycle and aligns with the outcomes of the amended Dual Credit Quality Act. The grant is intended to help community colleges expand and strengthen dual credit programming, particularly for historically underserved students, while advancing student readiness, persistence, postsecondary completion, and career entry. Projects are required to address two goals: supporting and improving equitable access to dual credit opportunities and providing holistic support for student success and persistence. Applicants may additionally pursue activities related to credentialing high school teachers for dual credit instruction and providing ongoing professional development related to dual credit instruction and program management. All 45 public community colleges in Illinois are eligible to apply, and ICCB will accept only one application per community college. The underserved population of focus may be determined by each community college district, although priority is given to applications serving specified populations. These include districts where a high percentage of high school students participate in the federal free lunch program and student populations with limited access to dual credit programming, including rural students, students with disabilities, first generation students, and historically underserved students. The program has $2,500,000 in total available funding, anticipates making up to 30 awards, and provides awards up to $100,000. No cost sharing or matching is required. Allowable activities include collaboration with community organizations and other institutions to promote dual credit awareness and enrollment, scaling existing programs to additional schools or districts, establishing postsecondary pathways, and providing transportation, tutoring, and technology access. Projects may embed academic and career advising, use workforce data to align offerings with high-demand career pathways, track student enrollment and progress, expand transferable GECC and CTE pathway courses, and create individualized student success plans. Activities may also support professional development plans and graduate coursework for prospective dual credit instructors, teacher stipends, training, mentorship, conferences, learning communities, resource development, and related professional development. Up to 25 percent of grant expenditures may be allocated to the optional goal concerning credentialing high school teachers. At least 60 percent of the grant scope and associated expenditures should be dedicated to equitable expansion of Type A dual credit courses. Indirect costs are allowed but capped at 15 percent of the award amount. Applications are submitted through EUNA Grants, powered by AmpliFund. Applicants must complete the GATA-Exempt Grant Application, an abstract of no more than one page, a Project Narrative of no more than ten double-spaced pages in 12-point font, a Project Work Plan, a Description of Partnerships, and a Uniform Budget. The Project Narrative must address Basic Project Information, Statement of Need, Fiscal Need, Program Justification, and Scalability and Replicability. The Project Work Plan must identify project activities, timelines, responsible persons, anticipated students served, project impacts, measurable goals and objectives, and short-term and long-term indicators of success. The partnerships section should use a chart or table describing activities, outcomes, responsible partners, partner roles, and areas of expertise. At least one anticipated partner must provide a letter of support. Applicants must also provide a budget narrative supporting the reasonableness and necessity of proposed costs. Applications are competitively reviewed using a 100-point scoring structure. The GATA-Exempt Grant Application and Abstract account for 10 points, the Project Narrative for 40 points, the Project Work Plan for 30 points, the Description of Partnerships and letters of support for 10 points, and the Uniform Budget for 10 points. ICCB determines awards and funding levels based on compliance with the NOFO requirements and application scores. Applicants should ensure every required component is complete because they will not be notified when application items are missing. Questions regarding the opportunity are submitted electronically to iccb.dualcredit@Illinois.gov using the community college name and FY26 AEDC grant in the subject line. The named grant program contact is Adrienne Pickett, Senior Director for Academic Innovation and Partnerships, at Adrienne.N.Pickett@Illinois.gov and 217-558-2163. The NOFO was posted December 1, 2025, and applications were due January 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. CST. A Bidder's Conference was scheduled for December 8, 2025 at noon. The grant performance period runs from April 1, 2026 through June 30, 2027, a fifteen-month period. Services must be fully delivered within the grant period, grant funds must be obligated by the end of the grant period, and funds must be expended within 60 days after the end of the period. Goods and products must generally be received within 60 days after the grant period unless the Grantor provides written authorization extending that timeline. Recipients must submit quarterly programmatic progress reports and fiscal metrics through EUNA Grants and participate in required professional development, technical assistance, or learning workshops. The NOFO does not state that the opportunity recurs annually or on another fixed schedule, and recipients are not eligible to renew or extend existing grant-funded projects, although they may supplement or scale current initiatives.

Address required Goals 1 and 2 directly and support goals with data, priority activities, performance measures, and a timeline; clearly demonstrate the target population, dual credit need, student impact, and equity-gap impact; document financial need; provide measurable objectives and indicators; explain scalability and replicability; clearly define partner roles and secure at least one partner letter of support; dedicate a minimum of 60% of scope and associated expenditures to equitable expansion of Type A dual credit courses; verify every required application component before submission because applicants will not be notified of missing items.