Education Department Allocates Additional $39 Million to TRIO Grantees for College Access
The U.S. Education Department has announced an additional $39 million in federal college-access funding, bringing the total awarded for two TRIO programs this year to over $225 million. This second slate of awards includes almost $32 million for 52 new grantees in the Talent Search Program and $7 million for 22 new grantees in the Educational Opportunity Center program. Many of these new awardees are colleges and universities. This announcement has been met with relief by education advocates who had expressed concerns that Talent Search funds, typically allocated to institutional programs, might be redirected to states, and that Educational Opportunity Center grants could be funneled towards workforce-pathway programs. The Talent Search program aims to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds who pursue higher education, while the Educational Opportunity Center program focuses on increasing college enrollment among adults.
