The College-Community Connections (CCC) initiative was developed in 2005 to expand college access services offered through New York City community-based organizations (CBOs) to include partnerships with colleges/universities located in the metropolitan area. The CBOs and institutions have collaborated to introduce high school students from underserved communities to liberal arts education, which cultivates in students higher order capacities that will not only equip them for jobs right out of college but also for the work they will do over the course of a lifetime.
Through this round of support, existing grantees were invited to submit proposals of up to $270,000 over three years. The call for proposals challenged the partners:
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to refine program content based on lessons learned from previous grant cycles;
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to expand the reach of their programs and serve a greater number of students;
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to include an emphasis on college success;
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and to actively disseminate the work of the program, with an eye not only to informing colleagues about the model, but also encouraging others to undertake similar efforts on their own campuses.
On November 4-5, 2013 the Teagle Foundation gathered Phase III grantees and other special guests for a convening in New York City. During the two-day event, attendees explored several topics including liberal arts education as it relates to democracy and opportunity, “college match” for underserved students, and the sustainability and replication of the CCC partnerships.
In 2013-2014, the Foundation contracted with Policy Studies Associates, an independent research and evaluation firm, to conduct a two-part evaluation examining the program's sustainability and potential for replication in the future and participant outcomes over time.