Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
The U.S. Department of Education is currently only accepting applications for the College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project. Only current GEAR UP grantees are eligible to apply.
Grant: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP)
Agency: U.S. Department of Education
Division: Office of Postsecondary Education
Deadline: May 1, 2013 for College Savings Account Research Demonstration Projects.
Description: The GEAR UP Program provides financial support for academic and related support services that eligible low-income students, including students with disabilities, need to enable them to obtain a secondary school diploma and to prepare for and succeed in postsecondary education. The GEAR UP program is a critical component in the effort to improve the quality of secondary schools so that more students are well prepared for college and careers.
The objectives of the GEAR UP Program are:
- To increase the academic performance and preparation for postsecondary education of participating students.
- To increase the rate of high school graduation and participation in postsecondary education of participating students.
- To increase educational expectations for participating students and student and family knowledge of postsecondary education options, preparation and financing.
There are four competitive preference priorities and one invitational priority:
- Successful Completion of Prior GEAR UP Projects: Up to an additional two points will be awarded to an applicant that has both carried out a successful state GEAR UP grant prior to August 14, 2008, and has a prior, demonstrated commitment to early intervention leading to college access through collaboration and replication of successful strategies.
- Turning Around Persistently Lowest-Achieving Schools: Up to an additional three points will be awarded to projects that are designed to improve student achievement in persistently lowest-achieving schools and that increase graduation rates and college enrollment rates for students in these schools.
- Enabling More Data-Based Decision-Making: Up to an additional three points will be awarded to projects that are designed to collect, analyze and use high-quality and timely data, including data on program participant outcomes in one of the following priority areas: improving instructional, practices, policies and student outcomes in elementary or secondary schools; improving postsecondary student outcomes relating to enrollment, persistence, and completion and leading to career success; providing reliable and comprehensive information on the implementation of U.S. Department of Education programs and participant outcomes in these programs.
- Implementing Internationally Benchmarked, College- and Career-Ready Elementary and Secondary Academic Standards: Up to an additional four points will be awarded to projects that are designed to support the implementation of internationally benchmarked, college- and career-ready academic standards and to improve instruction and learning. The following are areas of particular interest: the development or implementation of curriculum or instructional materials aligned with those standards; the development or implementation of professional development or preparation programs aligned with those standards; strategies that translate the standards into classroom practice.
- Financial Access and College Savings Accounts: This invitational priority reflects the Secretary of Education's interest in applications that propose, as part of their strategy for ensuring secondary school completion and postsecondary education enrollment of participating students, financial and economic literacy activities that include creation or enhancement of partnerships with financial institutions and creation of financial or other incentives to increase savings by GEAR UP students and their families.
In FY 2013 current GEAR UP grantees have the option of participating in the new College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project solicited through the GEAR UP program.
College Savings Account Research Demonstration Projects:
Through this project, approximately 10,000 low-income students would receive an estimated $200 in seed funding placed into personal savings accounts, and held in trust pending the student's graduation from high school and enrollment in college or university. Only current GEAR UP grantees that received new awards in FY 2011 or FY 2012 are eligible to participate. Further, these grantees must implement the project in at least six high schools serving grades nine through 12. While partnerships with local organizations like public broadcasting stations to produce high-quality digital content and services on financial literacy is not required, the Department of Education encourages grantees to seek out such partnerships. More details on this new demonstration project can be found in the Notice of Proposed Priorities and the Notice of Final Priorities. Deadline to apply: May 1, 2013.
Fit for public broadcasting: Only states are eligible to apply for this grant, so public media stations will have to partner with education entities in their states. Stations have experience creating and delivering educational curriculum and instruction that improves student outcomes, and they can lend that expertise to states hoping to apply for a GEAR UP grant. Educating families, as well as students, is an important part of this program. Public broadcasting stations are good at communicating to a wide audience and to the public and would therefore be helpful to states that are creating GEAR UP programs.
Eligibility: Only states are eligible to apply. The College Savings Account Research Demonstration project only applies to current GEAR UP grantees that received awards in FY 2011 or FY 2012. These state grantees must plan to implement the demonstration project in at least six high schools serving grades nine through 12.
Anticipated funding: There is $72,552,000 available for this program. The estimated range of awards is $500,000 to $5,000,000, and the estimated average size of awards is $4,836,800. The U.S. Department of Education anticipates awarding 15 grants.
Approximately $8.9 million is available for the College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project. The estimated range of awards is $500,000 to $8,000,000, and the estimated average size of awards is $1,200,000. The department anticipates awarding anywhere from one to 18 grants.
How to apply: Application packages can be obtained online. Applications must be submitted electronically on Grants.gov. Online submission requires registration, a process that usually takes three to five business days but can take as long as four weeks. Be sure to visit Grants.gov and begin registering well in advance of the deadline.
Resources:
Program Notice
Program Notice (College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project)
Notice of deadline extension (College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project)
Program Website
Previous Awards
In July 2012, the Grant Center prepared comments for this program encouraging the inclusion of higher end digital content on financial literacy for the new College Savings Account Research Demonstration Project. Read more.
