COSI provides multi-year grants throughout the state to provide funding toward programs that help prepare students for postsecondary education, as well as support them through completion. Annually approximately 20 postsecondary programs and 40 rural high school programs are supported with awards starting at $75,000 to serve 1:150 counselor to student ratio. Approximately 11,000 students are served annually with wraparound support programming.
In order to address attainment, we need to increase and improve promising strategies aimed at supporting Colorado students in the persistence toward, and completion of, postsecondary certificate and degree programs.
In December 2014, the Initiative awarded $6.8 million in program grants. In 2016, the program invested another $800,000 in New Partner Programs in 2016, approximately $2 million in continuing funding for the first round grantees, known as “Legacy Partners”, and $900,000 toward collective impact initiatives across the state. The third iteration of grant funding in 2018 awarded approximately $6.4 million to community partners through a new funding model aimed at improving the alignment of CPP with the CDHE Master Plan goals and CDE goals. The new model works to improve programmatic success through measurable metrics. COSI is now in a cycle of four-year grants starting in July 2020, through an investment of approximately $2.5 million annually.
Grant Proposal Review Process and Timeline
The CPP funding cycle is now closed.