With $355,000 in funding from United Way of Greater Los Angeles, Santa Monica College (SMC) is expanding its groundbreaking Homeless Service Work program — a training pipeline that equips students to become skilled street outreach workers, case managers and housing navigators.
Launched in 2024 with seed funding from United Way in response to Los Angeles County’s significant shortage of trained homelessness service professionals, the program provides students with front-line experience. Each participant completes 30 hours of hands-on fieldwork with local nonprofit partners, gaining needed skills in crisis intervention, trauma‑informed care and housing navigation. With all program costs fully covered, students can focus on learning, training and serving without financial barriers.
“The demand for trained professionals has never been greater,” said SMC Superintendent/President Kathryn E. Jeffery. “As we prepare to welcome our second cohort in February, this funding allows us to do what our community needs most — prepare a skilled, compassionate workforce to support individuals experiencing homelessness.”
Massachusetts
Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) will receive $132,335 through the Massachusetts Inclusive Postsecondary Education Initiative (MAIPSE) to support the college’s continued efforts to expand inclusive, equitable postsecondary education opportunities for students with intellectual disabilities.
The MAIPSE grant helps Massachusetts public colleges and universities develop, enhance and sustain inclusive postsecondary education programs that provide students with intellectual disabilities access to academic coursework, campus life, career development and pathways to meaningful employment.
“This funding reinforces our commitment to ensuring that all students — regardless of ability — have access to high-quality, supportive educational experiences,” said MWCC President James Vander Hooven.
MWCC will use the MAIPSE funds to support expanded academic access, student support services, employment readiness, peer mentoring and transition programming, helping students with intellectual disabilities thrive both academically and socially.
North Carolina
Bladen Community College has received a $1 million gift from Cape Fear Valley Healthcare (CFVH) to expand allied health programs and strengthen healthcare workforce development and student support services throughout the region.
Cape Fear Valley Healthcare has for several years supported a full-time nursing faculty position at Bladen and has assisted students in the nursing program. This latest gift builds upon that long partnership between CFVH and the college.
In addition to the financial contribution, CFVH is providing instructional space at Bladen County Hospital, which will place students in real-world clinical environments, offering hands-on training that prepares graduates to enter the workforce with confidence.
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Georgia-Pacific donated $5,000 to the Florence-Darlington Technical College (FDTC) Educational Foundation to support the college’s mechatronics and electronics engineering technology programs.
The FDTC electronics engineering technology program uses classroom and laboratory experiences to provide students with applied technical skills such as building, testing, troubleshooting and repairing applied electronic circuits and equipment.
Pennsylvania
Delaware County Community College (DCCC) can grow its food pantry offerings at its Essential Student Resource Center thanks to a $16,800 grant. The funding comes from the Delaware County Interactive Gaming Revenue Authority (DCIGRA) through the DCCC Educational Foundation.
The grant funds will support the food pantry services at the college’s Marple Campus and at its Downingtown and Southeast Centers throughout the 2026 calendar year.
In 2020, DCCC was designated a PA Hunger-Free Campus by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.
During the 2024-2025 academic year, DCCC’s Essential Student Resource Center supported thousands of students through its food pantry and related services, including more than 6,000 student visits, the distribution of over 25,000 pounds of food in partnership with Philabundance, and nearly 9,500 grab-and-go breakfast items provided during the fall and spring semesters. The center also offers textbook assistance, mentoring and student engagement programming that support academic persistence and academic success.
Washington
Tacoma Community College (TCC) will use a $400,000 grant from the KeyBank Foundation to establish a career navigator position. The grant, awarded to the college’s foundation, is the largest of its kind given to a community and technical college in the South Sound.
The navigator will join TCC’s other career and academic pathway navigators with a specific focus to guide students who are earning an associate degree and help them either transfer successfully to a four-year university or enter the workforce after graduation from TCC.
The position will be part of the college’s Career Center and Career Navigator Initiative that combines career-connected learning, internships entrepreneurship coaching and equity-driven support to help students achieve their career goals after graduation.
“Students have told us how critically important and meaningful it has been to receive these kinds of one-on-one advising services,” said TCC President Ivan L. Harrell. “There are so many opportunities here at TCC, and this new navigator position will get students the support they need with career and transfer opportunities.”
