Funding Navigation Grant Basics

In October 2023, the U.S. Department of Education awarded the Seattle Colleges a Title III Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) Cooperative grant of more than $2.3 million over a five-year period. The purpose of the Title III program is to help eligible colleges become self-sufficient and expand their capacity to serve low-income students by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.

Serving a large student population from Seattle and surrounding communities, the Seattle Colleges District (SCD) is committed to transforming lives through education. However, many students face financial challenges that impede their educational goals, exacerbated by the high cost of living in the Seattle-King County region.

To support student success, the Seattle Colleges District will establish a comprehensive Funding Access Hub at each college, providing a one-stop shop for students to understand their options and secure the funds needed to achieve their educational aspirations. In this effort, the District’s Cooperative Title III project will implement the following innovations:

• Funding Navigators - One Navigator at each college will ensure that the students have access to comprehensive services that will enable them to understand their options and secure the funds needed for their education goals.
• Funding Planning Tool - An online tool that is a quarter-by-quarter plan to assist students with funding resources and a plan that will take them from entry to graduation.
• Data Collection and Reporting - Student satisfaction surveys will be part of the district culture and will provide an institutionalized approach to student feedback and ensure that the initiative continues to meet the evolving needs of the students.
• Improved Communications Plan - Create a coordinated annual communications campaign for reminders and nudges that will utilize a variety of communication methods including emails, phone calls, social media, websites, workshops and classroom visits.
• Professional Development for Faculty and Staff - - Create and disseminate training resources to staff and faculty related to financial aid and funding resources.

The Cooperative Title III grant has three primary goals:

1. Increase enrollment, retention, and completion of all students
2. Improve students’ navigation of financial services on campus
3. Increase faculty/staff engagement and knowledge of financial resources available for students.

The contents of this webpage were developed under a 5-year $2,302,651 grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Strengthening Institutions Program. However, the content does not necessarily represent the views or policies of the Department of Education and should not be considered an endorsement by the Federal Government.