Intervention for College Attendance Grants

Increasing the access and success of groups traditionally underrepresented in higher education

The Office of Higher Education administers the Intervention for College Attendance Grant Program to foster postsecondary attendance and retention by providing outreach services to historically underserved students in grades six through 12 and historically underrepresented college students.

Funding Source

The Minnesota Legislature established the Intervention for College Attendance Grant Program (ICAP) in 2001. The 2019 Legislature allocated $772,120 per year in the 2020 - 2021 biennium to be granted out to eligible nonprofit organizations, postsecondary institutions, school districts, and professional organizations that actively support youth of color, students from low-income families, and students who will be the first in their family to go to college. Funding for the 2022 ‐ 2023 biennium is to be determined based on the outcomes of the 2021 Legislative Session.

Request for Proposals ‐ Now Live

As of March 8, 2021, the 2022-2023 ICAP grant competition is live. The Minnesota Office of Higher Education welcomes all eligible applicants to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 - 2023 funding. The timeline leading up to proposal selection is as follows:

March 8, 2021: RFP released
April 6, 2021: Webinar for interested applicants*
April 9, 2021: Deadline for Intent to Submit form submission
April 23, 2021 (4:30pm): Deadline for proposal submission

*to register for the technical assistance webinar, please contact Kelly.Gibson@state.mn.us with the subject line: ICAP Registration

For more information and forms needed to apply, see the ICAP Request for Proposals (ICAP Apedex).

Proposals are reviewed and scored by a panel of community reviewers who have professional or lived experience with: college preparation, youth advocacy, postsecondary programming, high school-to-college transitions, and marginalized student support, among many other content areas. If you are interested in being a community reviewer, please contact Alaina.DeSalvo@state.mn.us. Community members that are a part of groups traditionally underrepresented in college are encouraged to sit on a review panel and may qualify for a small stipend for participation.

Fiscal Year 2020 - 2021 Grant Recipients

The 15 grant recipients for the 2020-2021 biennium are:

Northfield Public Schools, Tackling Obstacles, Raising College Hopes (TORCH)
Banyan Community, Banyan's AdolesCent Education Support (ACES) College Success Program for Middle School, High School, and College Students
The College of St. Scholastica, Daring to Realize Excellence and Academic Motivation (DREAM)
Bemidji State University, Bemidji State University Upward Bound/Intervention for College Attendance Program
Breakthrough Twin Cities, Breakthrough Twin Cities: Students Teaching Students
Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servico (CLUES), Latinx Youth Empowerment Program
MIGIZI Communications, Inc., Native Academy
Riverland Community College, Navigate to Graduate Pathway
Faribault Public Schools, Connections: Supporting Faribault Youth to Complete and Compete
Saint Paul College, Transitioning and Retaining Underserved Students through the Power of YOU
Minnesota State University, Mankato, Mavigators: Helping Underrepresented Students during their First Year of College
Womens Initiative for Self-Empowerment, Inc. (WISE), Girls Getting Ahead in Leadership
YMCA of the Greater Twin Cities, Collegiate Achievers Project
Ely Community Resource, Project ELY- Empowerment through Learning for Youth
EMERGE Community Development - Education Pathway for Youth