Montgomery College Foundation Awarded Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Grant for Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES) Program
The Montgomery College Foundation is one of nine Washington, DC area nonprofit organizations to be awarded a 2014 Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Good Neighbor Grant. The $30,480 grant will be used to support high-achieving, low-income students in theCollege’s new initiative, Achieving Collegiate Excellence and Success (ACES), which was launched last fall.
The ACES program is a collaboration between Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools and the Universities at Shady Grove to develop a seamless pathway from high school to community college to a university, which will increase the number of students earning college degrees. ACES provides supportive coaching and individualized services for high school students to ensure successful transition, enrollment and college completion. It focuses on underrepresented students in higher education, including African American, Hispanic and low-income students, as well as those who would be the first in their family to attend college. The program began in 10 MCPS high schools during the start of the 2013–2014 academic year and currently serves990students. The first ACES cohort will begin at Montgomery College during the fall 2014 semester.
The Good Neighbor Grant will be used to support a summer bridge program focused on college survival skills, study habits and time management skills, as well as provide scholarships for students to attend Montgomery College in the 2014–2015 academic year. An estimated 50 to 75 of the 990 students currently enrolled in the ACES program will benefit from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s support.
"Montgomery College is grateful to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation for its generous support and its recognition of our innovative ACES program that serves promising students and their families with the goal that all high school students can attend and complete college with a baccalaureate degree. This can be achieved by coaching and bridging ACES students through community college and university programs,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, Montgomery College president. “We also are honored to be among such a prestigious group of nonprofits doing extraordinary work in our region.”
“Being able to support organizations that are producing great results,” said Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Vice President of Programs Emily Froimson, “reminds us that we have many partners creating educational opportunities for young people in our own community.”
Established in 2012, the Good Neighbor Grants program aims to support local nonprofits whose values and mission align with the foundation’s commitment to ensuring low-income students thrive in school and beyond. This year’s grants range from $10,000 to $35,000 and will provide students with access to writing and publishing opportunities, college preparation advice, top-notch academic guidance, and enrichment activities. In addition to the Montgomery College Foundation, the other recipients are 826DC, Bowen McCauley Dance, First Star Inc. Greater Washington Academy, Higher Achievement Program Inc., The Phillips Collection, Washington Jesuit Academy, Washington Tennis & Education Foundation and Young Playwrights’ Theater.
About the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is a private, independent foundation dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need. Because we believe that high-potential, low-income students will excel educationally when given the resources to develop their talents, the foundation supports exceptional students fromelementary school to graduate school through scholarships, grants, direct service, and knowledge creation and dissemination. Founded in 2000 by the estate of Jack Kent Cooke, the foundation has awarded $120 million for over 2,000 scholarships and $76 million in grants to organizations that support our mission. jkcf.org
About Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 130 areas of study.
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